Through The Ups & Downs
by Nightstar Fury
Summary: Wanting to protect the people he cared for, Harrison Haddock joins the Arc Isle Military Forces; Army Branch after bonding with his Night Fury, Toothless. Despite the dangers of war, Harrison finds love&starts a family until tragedy strikes. Harrison struggles to cope with all the ups and downs, can his friends and family help him feel like himself again? HiccupXOC Pairing!
1. I Was Home

**Through All The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; HarrisonXAddilyn_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _*Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use!_

 **Characters;**

Second Lieutenant; **Harrison Haddock(Hiccup)** -with _Toothless_ the Night Fury  
Private; **Dexter Bazirk(Dagur)** - _Strikebolt_ the Skrill  
Specialist; **Trevor Vollan(Thuggory)** - _Silverspine_ the Razorwhip  
Private; **Syrus** **Jorgenson(Snotlout)** -with _Hookfang_ with Monstrous Nightmare  
Corporal; **Skye Ostberg(OC)** -with _Phantom_ the Changewing  
Specialist; **Andy Kingston(OC)** -with _Shiftscale_ the Hobblegrunt  
Sergeant; **Briana Grayson(OC)** with _Nightstar_ the Night Fury  
Private; **Olivia Holgerson(OC)** with _Wildfire_ the Monstrous Nightmare  
Private First Class; **Chelsea Boggs(Camicazi)** with _Mimic_ the Changewing  
Major; **Aaron Hagebak(Alvin)** _-Leader of Sky Striker Company-_ with _Flarespike_ the Deadly Nadder  
 **Addilyn Hofferson(Astrid)** with _Stormfly_ the Deadly Nadder  
 **Hailey Bazirk(Heather)** - _Windshear_ the Razorwhip  
 **Frankie Ingerman(Fishlegs)** with _Meatlug_ the Gronckle  
 **TJ Thorston(Tuffnut)** with _Belch_ the left head of a Hideous Zippleback  
 **Regina Thorston(Ruffnut)** with _Barf_ the right head of a Hideous Zippleback  
 **Spencer Haddock(Stoick)** _-Chief of Police-_ with _Skullcrusher_ the Rumblehorn  
 **Viviana Haddock** _-Principal of Berkville Academy-_ with _Cloudjumper_ the Stormcutter  
 **Nathaniel Haddock** with _Sharpshot_ the Terrible Terror  
Second Lieutenant; **Glenn Belmore(Gobber)** _-Leader of Wind Rider Platoon-_ with _Grump_ the Hotburple

1) I Was Home

{Harrison's POV}

[Monday, October 21st, 2014]

"Men and women of the 45th Drake Brigade, give yourself a pat on the back boys and girls! After four hard months, you graduate today as soldiers of the army in the Arc Isle Military Forces! Congratulations, and I know you'll do our island proud!" announced an older man wearing a uniform. I stood there wearing my set of formals at the position of 'Parade Rest' while the family and friends of everyone standing on the field began to clap and cheer for our success on graduation Basic, Advanced, and Dragon Training. It took four long months, but we had done it! My family wasn't here, not even my friends. Nobody knew where I was but they would when I left here today and returned to my hometown; Berkville in Archian City of Arc Isle.

My name is Harrison Haddock, eighteen-years-old with short auburn hair on top and a faded shave around the rest of my head and emerald green eyes. Bet you are wondering why I'm in the army and nobody knows where I am? Well, I'll tell you! I dropped out of High School at the end of Junior Year in June after bonding with a dragon just after my eighteenth birthday. I'm a leap-year baby, February 29th, 1996 is when I was born. Right, back to why I'm here and not in school enjoying what should be my Senior Year.

My bonded dragon is a Night Fury; the rarest of all dragons to humans. I named him Toothless because when he retracts his teeth he's well, toothless and I thought it was fitting. My dragon only shows his teeth when he's angry. Otherwise, he's happy as can be. So, I bonded with Toothless in March and joined the Army towards the end of April, then shipped off for Reception Week at the end of June. The training that I just finished had started back on July 1st, 2014.

Did I join because my life wasn't going anywhere? No. In fact, I had everything I could ever want without the military. I have parents, a little brother, and tons of friends. Hell, I was a star athlete at my school. I even had a job, one I'd been working since I was fourteen. I started as just a cashier then, I put in my two weeks before leaving for Reception Week and left at the position of a shift supervisor. Not bad for four years there, right? So why did I join? I've always wanted to protect people the care about, my home island. Sure, I could have been a police officer or firefighter, but I knew I could protect on a bigger scale by joining the army.

What good is having everything you could ever want but not be able to protect it? That was my thinking when I made this choice. Why didn't I tell anyone I dropped out and left? I know they wouldn't approve. I plan to inform them as soon I get back to my town, but first I had to finish this ceremony. The lead officer was just telling everyone how the rest of the day was going; we could leave at 4 pm. Right now it's only 3:15.

My family consists of my father, Spencer, my mother, Viviana, and finally, my little brother, Nathaniel but everyone calls him Nate; he's only twelve, turned it twenty days before I turned eighteen, in fact, we're seven years apart. So, my Dad is the chief of police, hence the idea to be a police or fireman. My mom was the principal of Berkville Academy; a huge chunk of land to run to High School and train dragons because as long as we were sixteen we were allowed to try and bond with a dragon, holding a permit to train and fly them. We received the license at the end of Senior Year when training got completed.

Me joining the army let me skip the permit and go right to license at the end of military training. Awesome, right? My friends are Frankie Ingerman, Regina and TJ Thorston; their twins, Addilyn Hofferson and Syrus Jorgenson, who is oddly enough here with me at Fort Fury, Archian City. Syrus was shocked to see me here but agreed not to tell anyone that I was, explaining my reasons for doing so was to avoid the disapproval. Syrus is bonded to a male Monstrous Nightmare he calls Hookfang, a very stubborn dragon and yet, a perfect match to Syrus because he was equally as stubborn.

"Sky Striker Company, dismissed!" yelled Aaron Hagebak, our group leader. Major Aaron Hagebak has bonded to a male Deadly Nadder he named Flarespike. Okay so, I'm in a company called Sky Striker because all of are members of the Dragon Aerial Force. The team is made up of two platoons. I'm in the Wind Rider one with twenty-seven others, Syrus is in it too. Syrus and I managed to make some other fantastic friends too. Trevor Vollan, he's eighteen and from Meatford. There's also, Dexter Bazirk of Bersdale, he's twenty-two-years-old and has a little sister, Hailey who is eighteen and just transferred into Berkville Academy, so I bet my friends have met her by now.

We had two girls on the team too, Olivia Holt, eighteen years of age and Chelsea Boggs, also eighteen. Both of these girls are from Boghurst. Oh, and our unit is named Alpha by us, well, it became an adopted name because of the types of dragons the six of us use. I have a Night Fury, Syrus has a Monstrous Nightmare. Dexter has another rare dragon, a male Skrill he calls Strikebolt. Trevor bonded to a male Razorwhip he named Silverspine. Olivia has a female Monstrous Nightmare she gave the name of Wildfire to and finally, there's Mimic; a female Changewing that belongs to Chelsea.

The training we've endured was, well, I don't have a word for it. Difficult and trying if I had to pick two alone to describe it all. First was eight weeks of Basic Combat Training, then it was a month of Advanced Training; this is where we learned how to do our job more efficiently. Lastly, there was Dragon Training, and this lasted a month also. I was a little surprised that it only took us a month to complete DT. Usually, it depends on your dragon type to cover everything.

In DT, one would learn how to train, care for, and ride their dragon. I suppose that since Dexter and I had Strike Class dragons, there wasn't much the trainers could teach us since they knew very little as well. Caring for our dragons wasn't hard to manage, that took two days to learn. Training them to follow hand signals and voice commands only took a week. The most difficult part of it all was riding, so much needed to go into that and it took the final three weeks to master. Toothless and I worked perfectly together, so we graduated top of DT in our company.

"Harrison! Hey, did you hear me?" I was brought out of my thoughts by Syrus, he had his hand on my shoulder, and I saw the other four members of the Alpha Unit standing around us.

"Sorry, Sy. I got lost in thought, what did you say again?" I questioned.

"Major Hagebak dismissed us; we're free to break off and return to the barracks to pack up and leave now if we want," Syrus informed.

"Yes, now all of you get going. We'll see you back here for November drill weekend. Remember, that they are the LAST Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of every month unless directed otherwise," came another voice, Glenn Belmore, he is our Platoon Leader at the rank of Second Lieutenant and bonded to a male Hotburple named Grump.

"Understood, Lieutenant Belmore!" the people of Wind Rider Platoon replied to him. Glenn lived in Berkville too, and I think Aaron was from Outbury, not that it was far, maybe a fifteen-minute flight but a much longer drive.

"Ready to go home and tell everyone where you've been for four months?" Syrus asked me, and I shook my head.

"You know what my family is like, Syrus. I expect to get scolded and told I'm an idiot and smarter than this," I sighed heavily. Those would be my father's words for sure. I probably should text them and inform my family I'm returning home, but I don't feel like getting the mass of calls and messages asked where the hell I've been for this long.

"It's gonna be okay, Harrison," Dexter smiled. "If nothing else, you can come stay with Hailey and me at our apartment," he offered. Dexter moved to Berkville from Bersdale because his mother had died in a car crash eight years ago and his father just recently passed away from lung cancer. Dexter joined the army to take care of Hailey himself; they moved to Berkville because its a small town with cheap apartments to live in. Hailey can stay home alone, but Dexter pays for everything.

"I'll bear that in mind, Dex, thanks," I smiled at him. I walked with them to the barrack and started packing my things up. I only took my phone, few sets of clothes, and pictures. Toothless was in the stable behind the barrack; I would be getting him as I left. Syrus, Dexter, and I would be flying to Berkville together. Trevor lived ten minutes away from us in the Southeastern direction. The girls; Olivia and Chelsea lived about fifteen away, Southwest of Berkville. I threw my backpack over my shoulders and took a deep breath while heading out the back door to get to the stables.

"Ready bud?" I asked Toothless as he warbled at me lightly. I positioned the saddle on him and climbed in, putting my feet in the stirrups and rubbing the top of my dragon's head. Syrus and Dexter got themselves ready too, not more than five minutes later, we were in the sky heading for Berkville.

[Berkville; 4 pm]

Right on time as planned. We left Fort Fury at 3:20 pm and Berkville was a twenty-minute flight from the city. Driving, however, it was almost an hour. I was closing in on my house, Dexter and Syrus already broke off to get to theirs. Hovering over the Haddock Household, I saw that my father and mother were both there. Mom being the principal was always home by 3:45 pm, my Dad typically didn't work past 4 pm. My little brother got off the bus at 3 pm, but he would at home with Addilyn, she babysat him since the High Schoolers got out an hour before the Middle Schoolers did.

On average, Frankie, Regina, TJ, and Addilyn would all go to my house after school, we all used to do our homework together, and someone would always be able to play with Nate or help him with his homework. From what I could see, they were all there right now. Wasn't this going to be fun? Not. I landed Toothless in the backyard carefully where Skullcrusher the Rumblehorn and Cloudjumper the Stormcutter dragons were up instantly to inspect the newcomer being Toothless.

"Easy guys. It's just me, and this is Toothless," I introduced to calm them down. Skullcrusher was my Dad's dragon, Cloudjumper is my Mom's. Nathaniel had a Terrible Terror, well, it used to be mine, but when Nate turned twelve, I handed over the responsibility to him to take care of Sharpshot. "Stay here pal," I instructed Toothless as I moved to the door that would lead into the laundry/mudroom. It's basically where the washer and dryer were but also where we left our shoes, snow shovels, hung the coats and scarfs.

This room led to a small hallway where on the left was the kitchen and to the right rested the living room. Straight across was a half bathroom. I opened the door and walked in slowly; I took another deep breath while making my way through the small room, then going right and entering the living room where I saw Mom, Dad, Nate, and my friends sitting around.

"I'm home," I said to get their attention. Instantly, the seven of them whipped around in shock, eyes widening to see my figure standing there after I hadn't been seen in four months. I was finally home.


	2. Explanations & Introductions

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; HarrisonXAddilyn_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use!_

2) Explanations & Introductions

 _{Normal POV}_

 **[4 pm; Haddock Household]**

The Haddock family and Harrison's old school friends were sitting in the living room watching some TV and playing a board game with Nathaniel on the floor. Just as the last four months had been, it was a quiet and dull day. When Harrison went missing, it was a confusing day. The more they thought about it, Harrison had been acting a little weird since his eighteenth birthday and then finally, at the end of June, Harrison was gone. Spencer tried the usual methods to contact Harrison, but it appeared that his cell phone was off.

Spencer attempted to send small search teams out, but Harrison was nowhere to be found. Viviana always looked sad and gave drawn out sighs about missing Harrison. The friends wanted him to come back; no understood why Harrison would suddenly take off without a word, all they knew for sure was that he dropped out of High School and got his GED towards the end of March. As for knowing where he went; they had nothing. Harrison's 2014 lifted black with gray interior Chevy Silverado truck remained in the driveway, locked and untouched but Harrison obviously had the keys because the family couldn't find them.

"Mr. Haddock, have there been any leads on Harrison's whereabouts?" Addilyn decided to ask softly.

"Nothing at all. We've still got officers in the city and other towns on the look for if anyone spotted him, but nothing. And we don't have a cell phone to track either," Spencer sighed heavily.

"I just don't understand why he would take off without a word to anyone. Are you sure nothing was bothering him at school?" Viviana inquired.

"If there was, he didn't say anything to us. But he did start acting strangely after his birthday," Frankie mentioned. "Always kept telling us he was busy after school, and we know he worked, but I didn't think it was that much,"

"According to his former boss, Calvin Walker, Harrison put his two weeks in at the end of June, and all Harrison told him was that he was taking off for a while. Calvin said okay, and if Harrison came back and needed a job, he had it with him," Spencer stated. "I assume that means Harrison plans on returning, we just don't know when," he added.

"I miss him," Nathaniel frowned.

"We all do, Nate," Regina sighed.

"We just...have to hope he comes back soon and tells us why he left," Addilyn said sadly. Addilyn, also called Addy a lot as a nickname couldn't help but feel saddened by Harrison's abrupt departure. She and Harrison had been good friends since they were in fifth grade along with Syrus, Frankie, Regina, and TJ. It was during the school play in Freshman Year of High School that Addilyn began to form a crush on Harrison.

The play had been for the movie, The Princess Bride with Harrison and Addilyn holding the lead roles of Princess Buttercup and Wesley. However, Addilyn never told him how she felt about him, in fear it might ruin their friendship. Harrison had always been popular since Middle School when he started playing sports in the sixth grade. Harrison used to play Baseball in the Spring and Summer, Basketball through Fall and Winter. When Harrison started High School, he moved to just playing Basketball so he could free up his summer to work for Calvin, the manager of Berkys, one of the best places around.

Berkys offered both drive-thru and sit-down options for dining. Plus it served breakfast as early as 6 am but stopped for lunch at 12 pm. Berkys closed at 12 am, Harrison was known for working from 4 am to 6 am to get the place opened. Afterward, Harrison would go to school from 6:30 am to 2:10 pm, then return to work from 4 pm to 10 pm five days a week. Harrison's typical days off included Tuesdays and Thursdays unless he needed one off for another occasion or a Basketball game. The Tuesdays and Thursdays were for practices.

Harrison was a busy guy and made $11 an hour as a shift supervisor. It made no sense to anyone why he would drop out, get his GED, then bail when he had it made in life. The time was 4 pm now; the friends would be leaving around 4:30 as they usually did, it had become second nature for them to stay a while in case Spencer or Vivian had to work late. Suddenly, the back door opened as they stayed still and not more than a moment later they heard; 'I'm Home.'

Whipping around from their positions, they saw Harrison standing there wearing a dark green, brown, and black camouflage uniform, and beret on the top of his head showing the crest of the Arc Isle Army, there was a pair of black boots on his feet. Over the left pocket of the uniform read; AI Army and over the right; Haddock. On Harrison's shoulder rested a long gray bag and black backpack on his back. Harrison removed the beret and set down his two bags by his feet against the wall.

"Harrison!" Viviana burst into tears as she got to her feet and rushed over to Harrison, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. Harrison smiled a little and hugged her back.

"Hey, Mom," Harrison greeted before the distraught woman pulled away and looked at him. By this point, his father, little brother, and friends were up as well, hurrying over to him.

"Where in the name of Odin have you been!" Spencer demanded after he took his turn to hug Harrison, thanking the Gods he was home safe and sound.

"Fort Fury Military Base for training," Harrison replied calmly as the group of people in the room blinked in surprise taking a step back. "I joined the army," he added motioning to the uniform.

"We've been searching for you for four months, and you've been in the city this whole time?" Addilyn asked as Harrison nodded to her.

"Why couldn't anyone contact you, Harrison? We looked everywhere!" Spencer emphasized on everywhere with his hands spread out.

"Well, my phone ended up breaking just as I got to the base and I never bothered replacing it because I was too busy," Harrison shrugged casually. "Look, if you promise to calm down I'll explain everything," he sighed knowing that's exactly what they wanted; an explanation for his joining the army and sudden disappearance.

"Don't leave anything out," Viviana directed firmly as Harrison nodded and the small group returned to their seats in the living room and Harrison moved closer as he grabbed the computer chair and dragged it over to the rest of them, then sat down slowly with his arms resting on his thighs.

"Alright, first of all, I need you not to freak out at what I tell you started all this. It was a couple of weeks after my eighteenth birthday; I bonded with a dragon. It was when everyone was busy, Nate was at a friend's house until you two left your banquet dinner for the police station. I was just sitting outside with soda and some chips, and the dragon crashed into the yard, hurt its wing," Harrison began.

"What dragon did you bond with?" Frankie inquired. Harrison took a breath.

"A Night Fury," Harrison stated as everyone's eyes widened and mouths hung open. "He's...in the backyard right now, I'll introduce you after," he added. "Anyway, it took a few tries to gain his trust, but I got it, and we just bonded. I knew he needed help, so I called the Dreki Heart Hospital, and they came to get him. I promised him that everything would be okay and not to give the workers any trouble. The injury was just a sprain, and he was fine after a few weeks. In that time, I started wondering what my life would be like when everyone found out I bonded with the rarest of dragons,"

Taking a breath, Harrison continued. "One of the days I was visiting Toothless, yes, that's what I named him because of his retractable teeth, I saw a couple of soldiers come in to inquire if the sanctuary side of Dreki Heart had any dragons they would be willing to donate to Fort Fury for bonding purposes with trainees. One of the soldiers saw me with Toothless and asked if he was mine so I said yes, and they made a suggestion I should join. At first, I thought no way, but towards the end March I started considering it and doing research to find out what I would be getting into if I did,"

"You guys know me and that I've always wanted to protect people and that was my reasoning for joining the army. I know I could have been police, like you, Dad. Possibly a firefighter or EMT but the military will allow me to protect on the largest scale there is. So, April 5th, I signed up at the recruitment office here in Berkville, then went to the military entrance processing station for the joining portion on April 26th, signed my contract and took the oath. I left for Reception Battalion June 21st, then after that on July 1st started at Fort Fury for Basic, Advanced, and Dragon Training. I...just graduated as Private First Class today, about an hour ago actually," Harrison finished.

"Harrison, why didn't you tell anyone about what you were doing? Do you know how worried we've been about you!?" Spencer scolded.

"I didn't tell anyone because of how you're right now. Yelling at me, I didn't want to deal with that before I left, so I kept it a secret, and Toothless too," Harrison replied. Spencer closed his eyes and sighed heavily in frustration of his son's decision. "I don't see why you're so against it. I dropped out of High School but also got my GED," he added.

"Son, it's not the fact you joined the military that we're upset. It's that you joined and didn't tell anyone. We were so worried that something had happened to you. I have every station on Arc Isle looking for you right now," Spencer enlightened.

"Well, I'm sorry. I meant to call you and let you know what was going on but as I said, my phone broke, and I just haven't had time to replace it the last four months. Also, as a heads up, I might be leaving again," Harrison warned lightly.

"Again?! Where to?" Viviana asked quickly.

"Unfortunately, I don't know. Typically after graduating from training, the soldiers get stationed anywhere they are needed or to carry out their job selected at MEPS, the Military Entrance Processing Station. I-I chose Infantry so I could go wherever and instructed to do anything," Harrison stated. "Our orders were still being worked on when I left; we'll receive a call from the platoon leader when it's finalized," he added.

"You mentioned a contract before, what does that mean?" Regina wondered.

"It's called a service contract, and it means that I serve however long the contract says and when it's up, I can resign or retire, possibly go part time instead of full," Harrison explained. "The minimal for Infantry is eight years active duty,"

"Active duty means you could get deployed into one of the wars for anywhere between six and eighteen months," Frankie informed.

"I'm aware what it means. I did agree to it," Harrison mentioned. "The bottom line is that I'm a soldier of the AI Army now and will be for the next eight years. Oh, and so is Syrus in case anyone didn't know that he joined too. We're in the same platoon, so is Hailey Bazirk's older brother. I know she goes to Berkville Academy, Dexter let me know that she is friends with you guys,"

"We knew he joined after bonding with Hookfang, but he's always said he would join when he turned eighteen. We just didn't he was in your group, which means he's known where you are every time we mentioned that you were missing," TJ said.

"That is because I asked him not to say anything. I wanted to avoid having to explain all this over the phone. Plus, we never had a lot of time to talk. After training most nights, we showered and went right to sleep. Again, I'm sorry. There was a lot going on, and I just wanted to wait until I got home to tell you everything in person. I know that you don't like it, but this is the way things are," Harrison said sternly.

The group sighed, unfortunately, none of them could argue with Harrison or make him quit. There was no 'quitting' the military while under contract. There were discharges, but none of that applied to Harrison unless he got severely wounded or broke military laws and Harrison was not that type of guy. As Harrison had said, this is the way things are, and they had just to accept his decision and support it.

"So, you bonded with a Night Fury?" Nathaniel asked, and Harrison nodded seeing the excited expression on his face.

"Would you all like to meet him?" Harrison questioned. The group nodded, and Harrison stood up, leading them to the sliding glass doors that would take them to the backyard. When everyone was on the patio, Harrison gave a whistle with his fingers as Toothless's head lifted, then he bounded over when Harrison was standing on the grass. "Everyone, this is Toothless, the Night Fury. Bud, say hello to the family and friends," Harrison introduced. Toothless gave a warbled 'hello' and gummy smile.

"He's so cool!" Nathaniel said excitedly.

"And I'm licensed to train, own, and ride him," Harrison chuckled. Spencer sighed as he then gave a smile and put his hand on Harrison's shoulder.

"Well, I'm not happy you did everything behind our backs and didn't find a way to tell us until now, son. However, I can see how much it means to you, so I won't fight about it. If this is what you want to do with your life, then I will support your decision. Just...promise to keep us in the loop from now on?" Spencer glanced at Harrison.

"I can only promise to try, Dad. Thanks," Harrison replied with a nod and smile.

"I'll accept that answer. Now, I think it's best we get back inside, and you tell us how the last four months have been after you unpack," Addilyn giggled as Spencer and Viviana agreed with her.

"I think I can manage that," Harrison responded to them. This was good; everyone was accepting it and supporting the fact that Harrison was in the army now. Harrison wondered where he might be stationed. However, for now, he was just glad to be home with them and enjoy the time he did have until those orders got finalized and announced.


	3. Quiet Night

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; HarrisonXAddilyn_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use!_

3) Quiet Night

Things were calm now that Harrison was home and had explained everything to his family and friends, also, they got to meet Toothless. To his parents, brother, Addlilyn, Frankie, Regina, and TJ, it wasn't the best situation but what more could they do about it? Harrison dropped out and join the army on his own power because he was eighteen and there wasn't anything they could do to stop him because they didn't know his intentions. However, after Harrison explained his reasoning, they had come around to understand that while Harrison had everything he could ever want, he wanted to protect what was dear to him. Protecting family, friends, and your home with the help of the army was a big job, and Harrison seemed ready to do it.

At the moment, Harrison was outside with everyone, Nathaniel couldn't get over his elder brother having a Night Fury, and the others were silently settling with the new of Harrison being in the army now. The group said they accepted his choice and would support it, that was enough for Harrison to be happy.

"Harry," Nathaniel said nervously, Harry was the nickname that Nate gave Harrison when he was trying to learn how to say the name, so now it just stuck for Nate to call Harrison that for short.

"What's up little bro?" Harrison glanced at him.

"C-Can I sit on Toothless?" Nate asked. Harrison laughed a little and nodded.

"I don't see why not," Harrison replied as he raised his hand to Toothless, then lowered it as Toothless crouched down at the command. Harrison led Nate over and helped him sit on the saddle the right way as Nate giggled when Toothless stood up and walked around the backyard slowly with him. Harrison pulled out his disposable camera from his pocket and took a few pictures knowing Nate would want the memories. Toothless returned to Harrison as he climbed threw his leg over the saddle and sat behind Nate. "Wanna go for a fly?"

Nate's eyes lit up. "Can I really?!" he exclaimed.

"If Mom and Dad say it's okay," Harrison motioned to them.

"J-Just be careful, Harrison. Night Furies are known for their speed," Viviana reminded. Harrison nodded as he had Nate hold the handle bars of the saddle while Harrison gave Toothless a pat on the neck, then the dragon took to the air in a light launch and began gliding on the breeze.

"I still can't get over him having a Night Fury!" Frankie squealed.

"I can't believe he joined the army," Addilyn pointed out, still in shock about it. With Harrison home now, Addilyn wanted to tell him her feelings. Of course, she was nervous to do so but why should she hide them? Harrison was in the military, and Addilyn felt she should express her feelings towards him since he was going to be busy or possibly have to go away again. Addilyn didn't want to miss her chance.

After five minutes, Toothless landed as Harrison helped Nate down, then he got off his dragon's back next. "That was cool!" Nate exclaimed.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. Alright, Toothless, go lay down bud. I'll bring you out some dinner in a bit," Harrison told his draconic friend. Toothless licked Harrison's cheek then wandered over to a warm spot in the grass to lie down as instructed. Harrison faced his family and friends now.

"Well, let's get inside so you can unpack and relax a little," Addilyn smiled to Harrison.

"That's an idea I'm happy to get behind," Harrison sighed out from exhaustion. After that was said, everyone moved into the house again as Harrison grabbed his two bags that were near the wall, then he walked past the wall towards the front door and started up the staircase. Thank the Gods there was only ten of them to climb, reaching the second level, Harrison saw the rooms laid out before him.

The Haddock Household floor plan was simple. Pulling on to Ormr Drive, the Haddock residence was number one. From the street, one was able to see the front side of the house, then the right where the driveway and two car garage was. The front of the house had a porch, front door and them four windows, two on either side of the door. These windows were to the living room on the left and dining area to the right. The garage had a door to the backyard and one that led into the kitchen/dining room.

Entering the house from the front door, the first thing a visitor could see was the staircase leading upward to the second level. Staying in the main section, if you didn't go upstairs, you could go right to the dining room/kitchen or left to the living room. The dining area had a big six-seater table on a small rug that protected the hardwood floors. There was a cabinet with a beautiful set of china, then a wine fridge and small bar to set food out on if there was a party. Moving past the door on the right where the garage was, someone would find themselves in the kitchen.

A horseshoe shape was the best way to describe the kitchen. Going right to left; the fridge and freezer, counter space with cabinets above and below going all the way around to the right side. In the middle was the double sink and a window above it, then finally continuing around was the four burner stove top and oven with the microwave above it. Next to that was a small pantry for dry foods, mop, broom, dishtowels. Oh, there was a dishwasher to the immediate right of the sink instead of a cabinet.

If you continued past the pantry, it was the hallway where you had two more doors on the left and the laundry/mud room that also had a door leading to the backyard to the right. The first door on the left led into the basement; the second door was a half bathroom. That was the entire main level of the Haddock Household. Now, back to the stairs for the second section. The stairs were built interestingly; you had to go in the living room to climb them because you'd walk up six stairs, turn left and walk up the remaining four.

On the second floor, there was three room in plain view. A guest room directly across from the entrance to get down the stairs, there was about two arm's length worth of room between the door and first step, so someone had to be careful exiting the guest bedroom. There was another bedroom on the corner, then a full bathroom. The next room down was more of an office for Spencer and Viviana. Across the hall on the right was another bedroom and it was Nathaniel's. At the end of the hall was the master bedroom with Jacuzzi tub, standing shower, his and hers sinks and a toilet.

Harrison's room was the one on the corner in between the guest quarters and bathroom. Harrison opened his door and took in a deep breath, glad to be in it once again. Standing in the doorway, Harrison looked around, and everything was the same as when he left, he could see his whole room from this spot. Going around left to right was the book, games, and movies shelf, then on the left wall under the two windows was his file cabinet and desk where he used to do homework and use his laptop. Next was the bed, kitty cornered with a tall lamp behind the headboard and two small side tables on the left and right of the bed.

After that, it was the backyard windows, a sliding door closet, Harrison's dresser with a swivel mount for his forty-two-inch flat screen. The room had been arranged this way for years since Harrison was thirteen. _'It's good to be home again,'_ Harrison thought as he put his bags on the bed after closing the door and starting to take off his uniform and set it on a hanger to put in the closet, he had four in total, plus his formal dress set. Harrison started taking out his second set of boots and the undershirts; then he removed his physical training clothes. The next to come out was the field gear, and finally, Harrison unpacked his backpack which had civilian clothes and anything he brought with him to training.

Harrison got everything put away then grabbed a quick shower. He changed into something comfortable before shutting his door and getting down the stairs to see his that Syrus, Hailey, and Dexter had come over.

"Hey, guys. What brings you by?" Harrison greeted with a smile to the two from his platoon.

"Syrus called me and asked if he could come over, and these two were with him," TJ mentioned.

"I wanted you to meet my sister, Harrison. This is Hailey," Dexter introduced.

"Pleased to meet you finally. Your brother talks about you all the time," Harrison smiled as he shook Hailey's hand.

"And from phone conversations, Dexter talks about you, Syrus, and Trevor all the time. Says you three are a riot," Hailey replied with a light laugh.

"Guilty as charged I'm afraid," Harrison answered with a half chuckle.

"So, heard from Lieutenant Belmore yet?" Syrus asked.

Harrison shook his head. "Damn. I wonder why we're the only platoon that didn't get our station assignments, the others did," Dexter sighed.

"I'm sure we'll hear soon, enjoy the time at home. Odin only knows where we could go or for how long," Harrison reminded.

"You mean you will hear, and the rest of us get a message from you, mister hotshot squad leader," Syrus huffed.

"Harrison leads the team?" Viviana wondered.

"He sure does. It's a title given to the soldier who graduated with high marks and shows leadership qualities," Dexter informed.

"And Harrison is the only private in our company who made Private First Class," Syrus added in.

"Okay, I gotta hear all about training. You have to tell us," Addilyn smiled broadly. "Please?"

"Fine, it's nothing special though," Harrison muttered.

"Well, let's hear it over supper then. Your friends are welcome to join us, Harrison," Spencer invited. Harrison nodded as the others excitedly made their way to the dining room where Harrison and Spencer worked together to extend the table with the extra pieces that allowed the table to hold twelve, then Syrus and Dexter helped Harrison bring up the chairs from the basement.

Addilyn and Regina assisted Vivian set out the food. Nate and Harrison proceeded to set the table, then everyone took a seat. When everyone had a plate; Harrison, Syrus, and Dexter began telling their tale of training at Fort Fury, including parts from Reception Week too. There were three phases to BCT; Brown, Green, and Silver. Then there was a month of AIT, two colored segments in that known as Black and White then another month of DT. Four total but they learned everything they would need to do their jobs and serve the island. Harrison talked about the drill weekend being the last one of every month too.

After dinner had ended, everyone had to get ready to leave because it was a school night for them. Dexter, Syrus, and Harrison knew they were probably going to sleep in and enjoy the free time that they haven't had in four months. Harrison would have to go out and get a new cell phone for when Glenn called about station assignments, but that wouldn't take long to do.

"Have a good night guys and girls, see you soon!" Harrison waved as Addilyn got in her car and left, then Frankie with the twins. Syrus departed with Dexter and Hailey not long after. By this time; it was about 7:30 pm and he was ready for bed. Harrison hadn't a clue what he would do with his days since he didn't have work at Berky's or needed to attend school anymore. Harrison suspected he would do some chores around the house and get used to being home and settling back into semi-normal life again.

"Get some sleep, Harrison. You look beat," Nathaniel chuckled.

"Not yet, if I go to bed now I'll be up at four in the morning, but I am gonna go relax until it gets later so this is goodnight," Harrison said as he hugged Nate, then his parents before going upstairs. After using the restroom, Harrison laid down on his bed and felt instant comfort. Harrison thought about what he would do tomorrow; getting a new phone was top of the list, then after that maybe he'd see Calvin about working during the times Harrison wasn't doing army things. Harrison was sure he could think of others, but he was too tired. Early or not, he was falling asleep and wouldn't fight it. Harrison finally closed his eyes after turning off the lights and knocked out for the remainder of the peaceful and quiet night.


	4. Until Further Notice

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; HarrisonXAddilyn_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use!_

4) Until Further Notice

Harrison had been home for a month, and Thanksgiving had just passed. It was an excellent night with a lot of food too. There was turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, broccoli with cheese on it, rolls of bread and butter, cranberry sauce, etc. It was a quiet family dinner with Harrison's mom, dad, little brother, and his grandparents on his mother's side; Grammy Grace _(Gothi)_ , also known as just Gram and Grampy William or just Gramps. The set from his father's had passed away a few years ago. First, it was his Grandmother Lily in 2011, then his Grandfather Marcus the following year.

When the dinner portion of Thanksgiving was over, it came to desserts, and Harrison's friends came over with a few goodies to add to the pies and cakes they would enjoy. There was pumpkin, apple, banana cream pies, a red velvet cake, then some cookies and brownies. At this time is when Harrison's family and old school friends got to meet Trevor Vollan, Harrison's battle buddy and also Olivia Holgerson and Chelsea Boggs, all members of the Fury Fire unit. This was when everyone understood that there were different levels of teams that Harrison was a part of. Harrison, Syrus, Dexter, and Trevor explained that they were part of Sky Striker Company which broke down into two platoons; Cloud Glider and Wind Rider, Harrison being on Wind Rider.

Breaking down further, two squads made a platoon, and Harrison was part of the Darkwing Squadron, and the smallest of the teams was a unit. Harrison, Dexter, Trevor, Olivia, Chelsea, and Syrus made up the Fury Fury one. Yes, Thanksgiving had been fun and immediately following that event was the first drill weekend the soldiers had to attend. Thankfully, it hadn't been much of a challenge because the officers just wanted to run through the rules of how Friday, Saturday, and Sunday would go for them. It would be a lot like Basic with waking up early for an hour or two of exercising, then breakfast and marching practice, after that they would focus on a particular area to train.

Now, it was the start of December 2014 and Harrison was working part time at Berkys, he might as well since there was nothing military related to do and Harrison was still waiting to find out their stationing orders. Harrison was working for Berkys from 4 am to 2 pm; he would come home pretty tired, but he was a shift supervisor, so he had to be there at least ten hours to make sure things ran smoothly. Calvin was usually in for lunch rush at 12:30 pm and he'd work through until the place closed at 12 am, or sometimes he would leave around 9 pm, and Harrison would return to close up for him at midnight.

Harrison was working four days a week; Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. The Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays gave Harrison time to spend with his family and friends after school was out. Everything was going great, Harrison loved this arrangement because he wasn't sitting around bored all day, he had some days to himself, he made time for everyone, and if he needed to bail at all for army work, Calvin had a back up in place. Harrison was grateful for that; everything was perfect in his life right now.

For Addilyn, she wanted desperately to tell Harrison how she felt about him, but thus far they hadn't had a minute to themselves. Everyone was trying to spend as much time with Harrison as they could before he got his station assignments. Plus, Addilyn was afraid Harrison wouldn't feel the same and only saw her as a friend. It was a complicated process to think about because it could go both ways. If Addy revealed her feelings and Harrison felt the same, great, they could probably be together. However, on the other side of things, Harrison could say they are only friends, and then it becomes awkward from there. Addy didn't know what to do about it all.

Tonight everyone was supposed to be going out to dinner, but it was 4:17 pm and Harrison wasn't home from work which he was expected to be at 2:30 pm, that is the latest he ever gets home. All of them were at the Haddock Household, they'd tried to message him a few times, but there was no answer.

"I wonder what could be taking him? It's past four, that means he's been working for over twelve hours," Viviana mentioned.

"Perhaps we should call the store?" Hailey offered.

"Maybe it's just jam-packed at the moment, and he can't leave?" Syrus wondered.

"Spencer, try calling Berkys and finding out what's going on," Viviana insisted calmly. Spencer nodded as he got his phone out and dialed the place, waiting for an answer.

"Berkys, this is Sierra. Can I help you?" came a sweet voice.

"Uh, hi. I'm looking for Harrison Haddock," Spencer asked.

"Boss, phone for you!" the girl, Sierra called.

"Tell whoever is on the phone I'll be right there and get back on your position please," Harrison shouted back.

"He'll be right with you," Sierra stated as the phone was placed down and more noise could be heard. After a few moments, it got lifted again. "This is Harrison," he answered.

"Son, it's Dad. Is everything okay over there, you've been at work over twelve hours," Spencer said

"Calvin's wife went into labor around 1:30 pm, and he had to leave, I said I'd cover him until the next shift supervisor comes in at 6:30 pm, I won't be leaving until then," Harrison replied.

"Are ya busy? Maybe we can come see you, eat dinner there?" Spencer asked.

"It's not busy right now, could pick up around dinner. You won't see much of me. I'm the only manager on right now and helping everyone out. I gotta go, see ya later," Harrison stated, then he hung up. Spencer put the phone away and sighed.

"I guess Calvin's wife went into labor, so Harrison is covering until 6:30 when the next supervisor comes in. He said he's not busy, but we likely won't see much of him if we come," Spencer explained.

"I say we go!" Addilyn suggested. With the others in agreement, they grabbed their things and loaded up in cars, then headed into town so they could get to Berkys.

(Berkys; 4:32 pm)

Pulling into the parking lot, they all got out and headed in the main doors to see a few calm diners enjoying their food, then everyone behind the counter. It appeared that Harrison was working with a crew of 5 people, plus himself. Standing at the front register was a girl with caramel brown hair and amber eyes, she wore a bright smile on her face.

"Hi, welcome to Berkys. Will you be dining in this evening?" the woman asked, her name tag said, Brittany.

"Yes," Viviana nodded. After that, they all placed their orders and got their drinks while waiting for the food to be done. A few times they saw Harrison rushing around to help the front end and drive-thru.

"Bossman, I need you for a void!" called one of the cashiers.

"Gonna have to give me a minute, Britt! Drive-thru is getting slammed," Harrison calls back.

"Poor guy," Chelsea frowned, "Stuck doing all this by himself,"

Around 4:45 pm, things began to quiet down as Harrison made it over to the section his family and friends were sitting in. Harrison was wearing black pants and a dark gray long sleeve shirt with the tag that said 'Harrison' with 'Asst. Manager', he plopped down in a chair by the window with his eyes closed.

"Long day?" Syrus asked curiously.

"Ugh," Harrison groaned.

"What's with the tag? Thought you were shift supervisor?" Regina wondered.

"Got promoted before Cal left. There are a few things only managers can do and since he's gonna be out a week or so, made sense to give me the position to run the place in his absence," Harrison informed.

"Well, congratulations, son," Viviana smiled. "You look exhausted,"

"I've been up since 3:15 this morning, working since 4, still working until 6:30. Sorry about missing the dinner plans," Harrison sighed.

"Shit happens," Trevor shrugged.

"Harrison, my headset died with a car at the box! Can you take it while I find another one?!" called one of the crew members.

"Make it fast. I've told you guys a hundred times to keep a spare battery in your pocket, so this doesn't happen!" Harrison put the headset on that was around his neck before, and he pressed the number one button. "Thank you for choosing Berkys, can I interest you a combo this evening?" Harrison stood up and went to the second front register and logged into to while tapping more buttons and replying when he needed to.

It started to get busy again, and Harrison was showing signs of fatigue. At 5:10 pm, Harrison hadn't been seen much since 4:50 pm but Calvin turned up and saw how crazy it was.

"Where's Harrison?" Calvin asked as he got behind the counter.

"Haven't seen him, Cal, he went to the bathroom five minutes ago," Sierra replied.

"I just came out of there, and he wasn't looking so good but said he was alright," replied one of the guys while wiping his hands.

"I'll go check on him; he's likely over worked. Keep working, hold it down for now," Calvin informed as the employees nodded and then he turned to head to the bathrooms and walked in.

"What do you think is going on?" Addilyn asked.

"I don't know. We haven't seen Harrison in twenty minutes, and one of those workers said he didn't look so good in the bathroom. Should one of us go in too?" Dexter wondered.

"Let's just hang back for now until we know more," Trevor informed.

(Ten Minutes Pass)

The men's room door opened and Calvin came out with Harrison being supported by him to walk. Trevor and Syrus went over to help out.

"Harrison, you alright man?" Syrus asked.

"He's okay, just overworked and needs to rest. It's been so busy today that he hasn't taken a break or eaten; it's making him sick. Go on and get him home, I'll stay and keep working. It turns out my wife was just having false labor pains." Calvin said as he handed Harrison over to them.

"Come on, bro. Let's get you back to your house. I'll drive your truck for you," Dexter offered. Harrison forced himself to move to the computer and clock out, then Calvin handed him a Powerade and a small bag of food.

"Take it easy, Harrison and why don't you take tomorrow off too? You earned it after today," Calvin told him.

"Thanks, Cal. I got inventory and food order done for you, and the schedule just needs a final look over. The rest is all stocking and closing procedures," Harrison informed.

"Don't worry about anything here, Harrison. Get home and sleep," Calvin demanded.

"Aye, aye sir," Harrison gave a small smile and saluted. Syrus and Dexter helped Harrison to his truck out back; then Dexter hopped in the driver's seat.

"We'll meet you there," Spencer said as Dexter nodded and started Harrison's truck, then headed to the Haddock Household with the others following.

(Haddock Residence)

Returning to the Haddock House, Harrison was out first with Seth's help. Everyone entered the home, and Harrison took a hot shower, then changed out of his uniform and into something comfortable. After that, he ate his food and started to feel better.

"How are you doing, son?" Viviana inquired.

"Gave a scare earlier," Addilyn mentioned next.

"Sorry. I didn't think I was that tired or that it had been so long since I ate something," Harrison admitted.

"Maybe start carrying a granola bar on you for a midday snack?" Hailey suggested.

"Might do that. Thanks, Hailey. No, seriously, I'm okay now. Just got overwhelmed with the new position," Harrison stated as he threw his trash away then sat back down on the couch next to Addy. In the silence of the room, Harrison's cell phone rang as he pulled it from his pocket and glanced at the caller ID, seeing the name as Lt. Belmore.

"Who is it, Harrison?" Olivia asked.

"Belmore," Harrison replied as he pressed the answer button and put it to his ear. "Evening, Lieutenant Belmore. How are you?" he greeted and the room stayed quiet. "I'm doing alright, just got off work myself. Well, the side job I do. To what do I owe the pleasure of the call, sir?" he replied then was quiet to listen. After five minutes, Harrison closed his eyes. "I understand. I have the rest of Fury Fire with me, so I'll tell them," he stated then hung up a moment later.

"Stationing orders finalized?" Trevor asked, and Harrison nodded.

"Yeah, the final details aren't being released until the company is together, we're going to meet next week at the base, but I do know where we're going," Harrison informed.

"Care to share?" Syrus inquired.

"Off island," Harrison enlightened.

"Are we talking off island deployment to war or just another military base?" Chelsea wondered with worry.

"Overseas to the United States of America, I believe it's Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia. I don't have a time frame for how long, when we leave, or what we're going there for, " Harrison told them as he put his phone away. It was evident they were going far away but for an extended period without reason so far or a departure date. Harrison assumed they would get the final details next week when they reported to Fort Fury for a briefing on the matter. All Harrison and the others of the Fury Fire Unit knew for sure was that these were their orders until further notice.


	5. To Tell Or Not To Tell

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; HarrisonXAddilyn_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use!_

5) To Tell Or Not To Tell

It was quiet at the Haddock House; no one knew what to say honestly. The day started fine with Harrison working at 4 am, everyone doing their own thing and then going the Berkys for dinner when Harrison didn't come home at 2:30 pm like usual. Oddly enough, they found out that Harrison hadn't taken a break or eaten since 6:30 am so it ended up making him sick, and he was overworked on top of that. When everyone got back to the house, Harrison was feeling better after eating and taking a shower, then being able to relax. However, it didn't last.

A call came in from Lieutenant Glenn Belmore, informing of the stationing orders that everyone in the Wind Rider Platoon had been waiting to find out about since their training graduation. Harrison made sure to listen carefully to the instructions, so nothing got missed when he informed anyone else he needed to tell. Right now, they were all just standing there, wanting to know more but according to Harrison, they were just supposed to report to Fort Fury next week for more information.

"I don't understand why we would have to go to the states," Olivia mentioned.

"Yeah, don't they have their own military?" Trevor inquired.

"That they do. I believe it's similar to ours as far as branches go too. They are the United States Armed Forces, holding the Army, Marines, Navy, Coast Guard, and Air Force. We only have Army, Navy, and Air Force," Syrus replied to them.

"Yeah, but they don't use dragons, I think Archipelago are the only ones that have integrated them into our lives. However, other places are coming on board with it seeing how well we're doing," Dexter informed.

"True. So what did Lieutenant Belmore say exactly, Harrison?" Chelsea questioned now.

"Nothing much. Just to report to Fort Fury next week on Friday at 6 am for a briefing about our station orders. All he said so far was that we were going to the USA and it's only our platoon too, the rest of the company is staying behind," Harrison stated.

"What does that mean? Doesn't the company station together?" Olivia wondered.

"Typically, yes, we do, but there are some instances where not many are needed to carry out the job duties. That's what I think is going on now. For whatever reason, we're being transferred to the states, and they only need our twenty-eight soldier platoon because Belmore didn't say anything about others going with us. Said it was just Wind Rider," Harrison enlightened.

"So what, they don't need a lot of people to do this job? Is that what you're saying?" Syrus questioned.

"It's the best theory I've got based on what I know right now. In either case, we have our orders, so I expect all five of you at Fort Fury next Friday for 6 am," Harrison ordered.

"Sir, yes sir!" the five soldiers replied with a salute.

"Good. You should head on home too, let your families know. I've got this weird feeling that it won't be long until we leave," Harrison told them. The five nodded, said their goodbyes, and left the Haddock House, Hailey going with Dexter.

"You'll let us know, right big brother?" Nate asked sitting next to Harrison.

"Of course, kiddo. As soon as I know more, I'll tell everyone. For now, I'm just tired from work," Harrison rubbed the top of his brother's head.

"We'll go home so you can rest, Harrison. Sleep well and have a good night," Addilyn smiled.

"You as well," Harrison replied. After the four friends had left the house, it left only the Haddock family members present. "I think I'm gonna get some sleep, it's been a long day," he mumbled.

"Go rest, son," Spencer urged. Harrison hugged his parents and little brother; then he used the restroom before ending up in his bedroom on lying down comfortably. Next week he would know more and only hoped that the time they had to be in the US wouldn't be long. Sleep took him within fifteen minutes of laying down.

(Sunday, December 14th, 2014 at 8:45 pm)

Harrison got the news on December 5th about the stationing to the United States, and as per the orders, all soldiers for the Wind Rider Platoon were at Fort Fury on Friday, December 12th, 2014 at 6 am. However, no one expected to be there all weekend learning about the assignment, but also preparing for it. Harrison knew one thing was for sure; his family was not going to approve of the fact the platoon was leaving the Monday following Snoggletog. Currently, Harrison just arrived home after leaving Fort Fury an hour ago.

As he had promised, he had the friends get over to his parent's place so he could tell everyone at once what was going on. Harrison sat in the driveway a moment, the got out of the truck and entered the house through the garage/kitchen door, then walking into the living room through the hall where laundry, half bathroom, and basement stairs were.

"Harrison, you're home. Thank the Gods, we thought you had left already," Vivian whimpered as she was up first to hug Harrison, following her was Nate and his father.

"No, it's just been a long weekend of preparation to leave. Everyone take a seat, I'll tell you what's going on," Harrison informed as the small group found seats in chairs or on couches while Harrison removed his outer uniform coat and hat while walking to a spot they would all be able to see him from.

"We're ready, son," Spencer invited for Harrison to start.

"You can ask questions if you have them. Alright, so the call I got last week was for stationing orders. The definition of that is if us soldiers are not deploying to one of the war zones, then we get sent to other locations to carry out our MOS or Military Occupational Specialty. My platoon specializes in Infantry as the first, but since that is mainly used for deployment, then secondary is Dragon Training," Harrison started.

"So, you do jobs for the dragon related things since you're not deployed?" Frankie asked.

"Correct. We use the drill weekends to keep up on the Infantry work, but our stationing orders are for both things. We'll work in Infantry and with Dragons. Our assignment for this station assignment is to help the Americans integrate with dragon life as we do. They're coming on board to having a Dragon Force in their military for now. The rest will get worked on when it gets decided how that goes. Baby steps if you would," Harrison continued to explain.

"You're being sent to the states to train them about dragons?" Addilyn wondered.

"Short version, yes. But there's a lot more to it too," Harrison sighed with closed eyes. "We're not training them; we're training trainers to train the soldiers. We can't do everything except cover the basics and let them learn first hand. So it's classroom teaching about the different classes and species, then their food source, habitats, personalities, all that. After all that we'll be helping them bond, teaching them dragon care, training, and flying," he went on.

"So you're starting from scratch with them then?" Nate stated.

"That's right. And it's different classes too; they want to train enough people to handle it. As it turns out, we're not the only group going. Our entire company will eventually show up but to begin it all, they need the lead dragon trainers of our team, and that happens to be my platoon. Once we cover the classroom studies, the rest will come with the dragons to start the second portion," Harrison informed.

"Why is it just your platoon?" Travis wondered.

"Because my platoon has an interesting mix of dragons, two of which are Strike Class and harder to train. Well, Toothless didn't give me any trouble but, Strikebolt and Dexter on the other hand. That was hilarious, so was Hookfang and Syrus," Harrison chucked a bit. "The point is that they want the soldiers who trained an elite class of dragons teaching the Americans what they need to know about life with dragons,"

"I suppose that makes sense. So, what happens from here?" Viviana questioned.

"Well, I have our stationing information of where will be and when we're leaving. It looks like we're going to Fort Benning which is based in Columbus, Georgia on the East Coast. It's an OSUT or One Station Unit Training base, meaning that when the soldiers finish Basic, they stay there for AIT too and it offers a variety of other courses that can be taken," Harrison explained.

"Alright. What are we looking at for how long you're there?" Addilyn asked boldly.

Harrison sighed. "That's...the only thing we weren't told, so I'm assuming that it's until the job is done or we get moved somewhere else,"

"Wait, so you might not come back?" Nate panicked from his seat.

"I'll be able to come home on leave and stuff but yeah, for right now it looks like we're moving there. And no, I don't know when the time off is nor do they always get approved. I'll do my best, though. I'll still be able to call everyone; I think the USA is five hours behind Arc Isle," Harrison informed.

"When do you have to go there?" Spencer asked.

"We are set to catch a flight to Georgia on Monday, the 29th of December, this year," Harrison stated as they gasped.

"Harrison! That's only three weeks away!" Addilyn protested.

"I know, but I have to go, Addy. I don't have a choice; I do what I'm told to do and where to go. And in three weeks, I'm going to Fort Benning to do Dragon Training," Harrison told her as she looked down.

"What is your flight looking like, son?" Viviana asked softly, trying not to get emotional.

"Right now, it appears we're flying out of Arc Isle Airport at 12:40 pm for a two hour and fifteen-minute flight to Copenhagen, we'll layover there for four hours and ten minutes, then catch an overnight at 7:15 pm to 5:35 am into Newark, New Jersey. Another layover there for two hours and sixteen minutes, then we fly on to Atlanta, Georgia for two hours and nineteen minutes. I assume when we hit Newark, that time change kicks in so instead of it being 1 pm; it will be 8 am on the East Coast. Plus, I think we're taking a smaller plane into Columbus, that's another forty-five minutes so...1:45 pm for you, 8:45 am for the team and me," Harrison explained.

"This is going to suck," Regina frowned.

"I know, but as I said, I'll do my best to stay in contact and come home as often as I'm able. Speaking of which; Mom, Dad. Dexter asked me if I'd ask you for a favor," Harrison started.

"Go on then," Spencer urged.

"Would you be willing to take Hailey in while we're away. Dexter doesn't want to bring her to the states and have to change her school again. We don't think this will take long. I was able to learn about dragons and train Toothless in a month, so maybe a year or less we'll be gone. Dexter said he'll sign over guardianship temporarily and send whatever money you need for her," Harrison asked.

"Give your mother and I some time to talk, Harrison. That's a bit of a tall order for last minute," Spencer informed.

"I know, but we weren't expecting to be leaving last minute either. The guys and I are probably gonna get an apartment together for our time there, easier than living on the base," Harrison replied.

"We'll let you know at the end of the week," Viviana said.

"Thank you," Harrison sighed. "Now, if no one minds, I need a shower and a nap. The last three days have been hell," he added.

"We'll be here, processing this," Spencer said. Harrison felt bad, but what could he do? This was his job, and he couldn't stop just because of a temporary move or the extreme disapproval from his family and friends. Harrison sighed as he moved to his room to get a change of clothes and towel, then he walked to the bathroom for his shower, when it started up, he stepped in and tried to relax his sore body.

Outside with the others, they could only sit in the silence of the information. Harrison was going to be moving to the USA for a what would hopefully be a short time to train others in training dragons, and he was leaving in three weeks. Addilyn knew one thing, this might be her last chance to tell Harrison how she felt about him. There was no guarantee he would like her back, so the question she was faced with was to tell or not to tell?


	6. The Best Of It

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; HarrisonXAddilyn_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! Also, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character; Ella(Eira) Solveig. She belongs to my good friend, ShadowSpirit020. I'm borrowing Eira(Ella being the modernized name) as a female friend to the main characters!_

6) The Best Of It

 _{Addilyn's POV}_

I was at a complete loss of what to do after learning that Harrison was going to be temporarily moving to the United States of America, stationed at Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia. The whole purpose of this position order was because the Americans wanted to start working with dragons as we did, others were coming around to accepting they were part of our lives so it would be wise to share it with them. It made sense why Harrison would get sent with his platoon; Harrison bonded to a Night Fury, the rarest of dragons known to humans. And Dexter has a Skrill, another rare species of dragon. I know Harrison was doing his job, but it hurt that I felt like I couldn't talk to him anymore because he was about to leave.

I've been thinking about it since the night Harrison told us he would be leaving the Monday following Snoggletog; it was known as Christmas in other parts of the world, but we called it what our Viking ancestors did. We didn't believe in a Santa Claus, for us the belief was that our All-Father, Odin, would leave us gifts to wake up to on December 25th. So, back to my dilemma of telling Harrison that I like him or not. I wanted to let him know; I knew that. I just couldn't decide WHEN to say something to him. Before he left or when he came home again.

What was hard about that second option was that we didn't know when he would be back on Arc Isle to stay. Harrison already admitted they could be sent somewhere else after the states, it all depended on if there was another job for them to do elsewhere. It might be the only thing I didn't like about Harrison being in the army, that we never knew what was going to happen. Today is Friday, December 12th, 2014, the day Spencer and Viviana would give Harrison their final decision about Hailey Bazirk staying with them until Dexter returned. As it was Friday, all of us were there too; meaning Regina, Frankie, TJ, and myself.

I know Harrison was busy with the preparation to leave in two weeks so he had once again let Calvin know he was taking off and hopefully wouldn't be gone too long this time. Calvin understood, he told Harrison that there would always be a job waiting for him at home, Harrison thanked him for that. Seeing how tired and stressed out Harrison was every day after working at Fort Fury, I felt more and more like I shouldn't tell him how I feel for him because I didn't want to add to anything. I suppose, for now, I wouldn't inform him that I liked him. Harrison didn't need anything else to worry about as he was about to move close to nineteen hours away by air travel. Thor only knew how long it would take with a ship.

 **[Haddock Household; 5:20 pm]**

Spencer had a late night, so he just arrived home at 5 pm, and Harrison had gotten in the driveway a moment ago. The poor guy had been at work since 6 am, an eleven hour day had to make the body sore, not to mention the fatigue. Harrison walked in the door garage/kitchen door while removing his hat and tucking it into his pants pocket, seeing everyone at the dining room table for dinner. I offered him a smile.

 _{Normal POV}_

"Welcome home, son. How was work?" Viviana inquired.

"Tiring," Harrison replied with a yawn as he greeted everyone with a wave, then moved to the stairs to go up for a shower in the bathroom. It was among the regular things he did after work. Shower and change out of his uniform so he could be comfortable.

 **[Twenty Minutes Later]**

Harrison returned at 5:40 pm as Viviana had fixed him up a plate of supper and warmed it in the microwave. Harrison sat down next to Nathaniel as Viviana placed it down on the mat in front of him, then she kissed his forehead before taking her seat beside Spencer to continue eating her food. It was a quiet meal; the exhaustion was showing on Harrison's face as he was barely taking a bite every four minutes.

"What time do you have to go in tomorrow?" Addilyn questioned.

"7 am," Harrison replied. "And out at 4 pm, hopefully," he added afterward. "Mom, Dad? Have you guys thought about what I asked last week? I only need to know so Dex can make other arrangements if you can't," he asked looking at them.

"Aye, son and reached an agreement too," Spencer informed.

"Hailey can stay here in the guest room," Viviana told Harrison.

"Yes, and Dexter has to sign a few documents, so it's legal for us to take care of her in his absence. It's more for doctor appointments, and he'll need to leave her insurance cards, birth certificate, and social. Anything we'll need, so others know that we're her temporary guardians," Spencer enlightened.

"Dexter has it all in a folder, he got it ready as soon as he was aware that we were going to the US," Harrison nodded. "I'll bring him by tomorrow night after work; we can take care of it then and start getting Hailey settled," he added.

"Sounds like a plan," Spencer said while taking another bite of his food.

"Thanks, guys," Harrison smiled a little. Dinner finished as Harrison went to his room to call Dexter and let him know his parents said it was okay for Hailey to stay at the Haddock Household while they were away for a bit. After that, Harrison ended up crashing on his bed around 6:45 pm and the group only knew that because Nate had gone in to ask if he needed anything. Finding Harrison asleep, Nate closed the door and let everyone know that Harrison was already asleep so that prompted the friends to leave and then the Haddocks just stayed quiet until it got later and they eventually went to bed too.

 **[Arc Isle Airport; 10:30 am-December 29th, 2014]**

Today was the day that Harrison left with his platoon for the United States. The dragons had been taken ahead by ship last week because having them in the cargo hold thought it might weigh the plane down and make it unsafe. So, the ship would be arriving around the same time the plane did, thank Thor for that because Toothless would not be happy to have strangers around him. The plane was not set to leave for another two hours, but they were expected to be there early to get a head count in and make sure everything was going according to plan.

Harrison, Syrus, and Trevor helped Dexter with getting Hailey settled into the Haddock House's guest room. Syrus and Trevor moved the old furniture into the basement, making sure it stayed wrapped up so nothing would happen to it and then the five boys together got Hailey's stuff in and arranged it how she wanted it to be for her duration at the house. Olivia, Chelsea, Addilyn, and Regina helped Hailey unpack her things and get settled in while Dexter and Harrison worked with Spencer, Viviana, and a lawyer to make sure everything was legalized. The week before Christmas is when it was finalized and the Haddock parents had become the legal, but temporary guardian over Hailey Bazirk.

The guardianship covered them being able to let her live at their house and take her to the doctors if she needed to go, also carry her important documents too. Dexter agreed to send $400 every month to Viviana and Spencer, something that would allow them to get Hailey's birth control, co-pays for the doctor's office, school items, or if she needed clothes and shoes. It was a good arrangement, and Dexter enforced with his younger sister to be on her best behavior for Harrison's parents because they were going out of their way to do this for him. Hailey promised she wouldn't give them any trouble and Dexter seemed satisfied with the response.

Now, at the airport, the whole gang was here to say goodbye. The two hours went by fast. Soon it was 12:10 pm and time to board the plane for a two hour and fifteen-minute flight to Copenhagen, Denmark. They would sit for about four hours there to catch the next aircraft to Newark, New Jersey, then after that layover, it would be onto Atlanta, Georgia. Following that was a quick flight to Columbus and a bus ride to Fort Benning. It was going to be a long day traveling, and the soldiers hoped they would get a little time to get themselves situated before starting the training portion of their job.

"Alright, Wind Rider Platoon. It's that time!" Lieutenant Belmore announced. At that moment, the twenty-eight soldiers began to give hugs and what not. Harrison said goodbye to his friends first, and Addilyn struggled to keep her emotions in check when Harrison embraced her. Afterward, Harrison said his farewells to his mother, father, and little brother. Harrison stepped back from them with a smile.

"Hey, it's okay. I'll call when I get to Denmark and before I leave it, then again in Newark if the time won't be outrageously early or late. It's not forever, I promise," Harrison reminded as he got his bag off the ground and put it over his shoulders while getting in line with the others to board the place. At 12:50 pm, the plane was seen rolling down the runway and taking to the sky. When it was out of sight, the families began to leave sadly. It was hard to say goodbye, but at least the soldiers weren't going to war. It was small but still something to be thankful for.

 **[Fort Benning, Georgia; December 30th, 2014]**

As Harrison had promised, he called every time he landed or was about to take off again. The worst of the flight was from Copenhagen to Newark because it was from 7:15 pm on the 29th to 5:35 am on the 30th. Harrison slept through that one with his headphones in and during the shorter flights, he went back and remembered Snoggletog with his family and friends, which had been a real fun time. However, they just arrived at Ft. Benning by bus that had picked them up from the Columbus, Georgia airport.

"Listen up boys and girls. I know it's been a lot of traveling and everyone is tired even though it's only nine in the morning. All you gotta do is get checked in and settle in your dragons; they did arrive two hours before us," Lieutenant Belmore informed.

"Then we get to sleep?" Olivia mumbled.

"Once you get to the barracks, yes. Well, yours is more like dorm room that fits four people in it and no co-ed, obviously. You will all be in the same hallway, though and on the first floor. Your next to a spot where you can put your dragons, for those of you who have them, I know you all don't," Glenn informed.

"So, is this where we're gonna be while we're here?" Dexter inquired.

"Yep. We figured it might be easier than sending ya out to find an apartment or worrying about transportation. Let's get a move on," Glenn ushered as the soldiers got up from their seats on the bus and filed off the bus following Glenn to where the dragons were.

"Wind Rider from Arc Isle Army?" asked a man who approached them.

"Yes. I'm Second Lieutenant Glenn Belmore, leader of this platoon. Should be twenty-nine of all us together," Glenn stated.

"I got you right here. I'm Major General Ethan Wright. We got the dragons squared away at the barrack," said the man.

"I'm glad they didn't give you any trouble. I think it would be best to get these men and women to their barrack, Major General. It's been a long flight," Glenn smiled.

"I won't disagree, Lieutenant Belmore. Right this way," MG Wright motioned to follow him. Arriving at the Alpha Barrack, it appeared to be just a long hallway with seven doors on either side. "Alright, they sleep four to a room, so you'll have to separate yourselves up evenly,"

"I let them know," Glenn informed.

"Excellent. Now, in each room, you will find this setup," MG Wright said as he opened one of the doors up. "Each room also a basic toilet, sink and stand up shower with a small linen closet for towels and personal hygiene items, toilet paper too. There are also bigger bathrooms at the end of the hall," the man added.

"And you mentioned a central area for them to hang out when not working?" Glenn asked.

"Yes! That is also at the end of the hall through those double doors. It's like a break room setup. Few coffee makers, a large fridge/freezer, sink, stove, tables, a TV with basic cable and DVD/VCR combo hooked up. There is wifi here too, should be free access. It has everything you need, and there are full meals in the chow hall over in building A-106, you do have to pay for them, and I suppose you can go anywhere between 7:00 am and 7:00 pm," MG Wright let them know.

"I'm sure you can explore more tomorrow, get settled and some rest, for now, boys and girls," Glenn ordered.

"Yes, no work will be done until after the New Year starts, so take all the time you need to get used to the base and adjusted. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask," MG Wright informed.

"Will do, thank you, Major General," Glenn nodded as the man left and the soldiers began to break off into groups of four. Thankfully, the males and females were even in the platoon, so that made it easier to separate. Dexter, Trevor, Syrus, and Harrison were sharing a room. Olivia and Chelsea were bunking with Stephanie Mcguire and Ella Solveig. Most of the rooms didn't even unpack; they just picked their spots and laid down to relax their sore bodies, then call home to let everyone know they arrived safely and would talk soon as they needed the rest. After all that, the soldiers grabbed something to eat, saw their dragons, then grabbed a shower before getting some sleep. All Harrison knew before knocking out was that he had to adjust to a new life in the USA for the time being so he better make the best of it.


	7. An Adjustment

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; HarrisonXAddilyn_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! Also, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character; Ella(Eira) Solveig. She belongs to my good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

7) An Adjustment

The young men of room two on the left side of the building they were in ended up going to sleep early after picking their beds and getting some breakfast after the long eighteen-hour flight from Arc Isle. The boys slept from 9:45 am to 4:30 pm, woke up to feed their dragons then get something to eat themselves before unpacking only their night clothes and going back to sleep from 7:30 pm to this morning of December 30th, 2014. Tomorrow was New Year's Eve, hard to believe it would be the year 2015 on Wednesday and Harrison was living in the USA until further notice to train the Drill Sergeants about dragons so they would be able to teach their soldiers who were interested, and future recruits. This was the start of a new era for the humans and dragons living in one world together, peacefully.

The time now was 5:45 am with the four males of Fury Fire Unit waking up to either one or all of their alarms going off at the same time. Harrison was up on his alarm at 5:30, he already used the fifteen minutes for the others woke up to go to the bathroom and take a quick shower, just to wake up a little more. Once he came out, Dexter went next to use the bathroom; then it was Trevor and Syrus. The three of them decided to use the main bathroom at the end of the hall that was beside the main room. By 7 am, all of them were showered, shaved, and dressed for the day.

"I guess we could go eat breakfast, then come back to unpack our things?" Trevor suggested.

"Sounds like a plan. Should we wait for the rest of the platoon?" Syrus wondered.

"Nah, they'll catch up. Some of them were up later than us," Harrison mentioned. With that decided, the four of them exited their room and headed for the door which sat directly to their left. Not long after they departed from the Alpha Barrack, Olivia and Chelsea were rushing towards them saying to wait up.

"Morning girls," Dexter greeted.

"Anyone else still on Archipelago time?" Chelsea muttered tiredly.

"We'll get used to it. Everyone else still sleeping?" Harrison mentioned.

"Sort of. Everyone was just starting to wake up, use the bathrooms, shower, and get dressed. We were up at 6:30, and showered last night," Olivia smiled. The six friends reached the Dining Hall which was just down the walk way, an eight-minute walk at best. However, reaching it, they noticed the name on the sign outside the main doors reading: **Infantry & Dragon Trainer Headquarters**. Were they at the right place?

"Ah, good! Some of you are awake. Morning," greeted Lieutenant Belmore.

"Morning, sir. Uh, did we reach the right place for breakfast? I thought Major General Wright said the Dining Hall was this building," Trevor inquired.

"It's in there, don't worry. Wright forgot to mention that only the trainees have separate buildings for everything. This whole segment of Fort Benning is reserved for the Infantry and soon to be Dragon Trainers. The recruit barracks are lined up way over there, and they have their locations for dining, buying, medical, so on and so forth. In here though, is all for the Drill Sergeants. There's an infirmary, mess hall, workout center, post exchange, couple lounges with televisions, tables, computers. Wright wanted me to make sure you knew," Glenn explained.

"Okay, so we weren't wrong. It's basically an overall building then?" Olivia asked.

"Correct. Have any of ya unpacked?" Glenn wondered.

"Nope, just been working on getting used to the time change and not getting lost. We planned to unpack after we eat," Harrison informed.

"Right then. When everyone gets unpacked and settled in, I believe we're all going to get a tour of the base and see where we'd be working daily. Harrison, as you know being Private First Class, are in charge of all this, I'm merely here because I'm the platoon's commanding officer. I'm here for help, but you, Harrison know a lot about dragons and had top scores in your DT," Glenn chuckled.

"I still don't think it should just be me," Harrison sighed.

"The others will be teaching, but you're overseeing it to make sure there are no mishaps," Glenn reminded.

"I know, Lieutenant. Well, we're gonna eat. Catch you later," Harrison stated as they entered the building before them. Walking in, the six took notice of how it was set up. Hallways and doors with labels on them to say what each room was. There was a hanging sign above them as they looked. The Dining Hall was straight ahead, the infirmary to the right, the work out center on the left. Plus there were lounges, and the Post Exchange but all the team wanted was breakfast right now, so they went straight.

After getting their food off the long rows to choose from, then coffee, juice, or milk, the friends paid for their meals then took a seat at one of the tables. By 7:40 am, the rest of the platoon had made it in as they were all sitting close together and talking about how they liked the states so far. When they were done, they continued just to hang out and browse around to get a feel for where everything was in the Trainer Headquarters building.

"Harrison, we're heading back to the barrack to start putting stuff away, you joining?" Dexter asked.

"I'll meet you there in a bit. I'm taking Toothless for a fly," Harrison smiled.

"Don't too far, or you'll get lost," Glenn warned.

"Toothless won't let us get lost, Lieutenant, don't worry," Harrison smiled as he hurried outside to the stables and got Toothless's saddle on him, then led him outside to the open area where they could take off without breaking something up.

"Wow, he's so cool," said one of the soldiers. Harrison looked up seeing a small group of ten wandering around towards them.

"Thanks. Uh, well, I'll see you later then. Ready bud?" Harrison asked Toothless, who only crooned when Harrison rubbed his head then threw his leg over the saddle. "Let's go!" he called as Toothless gave a loud roar and bolted into the blue sky overhead. "YEAH! Woohoo!" Harrison cheered while whipping through the air, a whistle sound following his dragon. The speed was incredible! Harrison and Toothless did some loops, twirls, and flips before just gliding slowly.

"Want to try out the move bud?" Harrison asked his friend. Toothless grumbled, "Oh, stop it you," Harrison chuckled as he sat up straight and loosened himself, then Toothless did the same.

"What's he doing?" asked one of the curious soldiers who was watching along with Harrison's unit.

"Knowing Harrison," Trevor started.

"Something stupid," Chelsea finished as they continued to watch. Above, Harrison took a deep breath before letting himself just fall off and fall head first towards the ground. "Oh, Gods! Lieutenant Belmore, Haddock dropped off Toothless!" Glenn rushed over and looked up. However, before anyone could react to go after Harrison, Toothless closed his wings and shot past Harrison, and the two lined up with one another as Toothless put out his wings slow and Harrison landed on his back safely. Toothless pulled up and then they came around and landed five minutes later.

"Aha! We did it, Toothless!" Harrison smiled wide as Toothless jumped around and tackled his friend down, licking his face furiously.

"Harrison, are ya alright?" Glenn asked quickly as Toothless let Harrison get to his feet.

"Of course. Why? Did you think I wasn't?" Harrison quirked an eyebrow at his commanding officer.

"You fell off your dragon!" Olivia screeched while smacking his arm.

"I, uh, I know. I did it on purpose," Harrison stated as they blinked at him. "It's a move Toothless, and I have been working on. If I ever fall off him in battle, he dives and catches me, then we take off again," Harrison explained.

"Well, from now on, can you refrain from giving me a heart attack so early in the morning!?" Glenn yelled at him.

"Fine. I'll give you one after lunch, sound better?" Harrison remarked. Glenn put him in a headlock and noogied him.

"How about no heart attacks at all?" Glenn sighed and released Harrison.

"Sorry. I'll keep you up to date on me and Toothless's training sessions," Harrison replied.

"I'll accept that answer. Now get inside and start unpacking," Glenn chuckled. Harrison nodded as he put Toothless in the makeshift stable and removed the saddle. After that, Harrison returned to his barrack room with Dexter, Trevor, and Syrus.

 _{Harrison's POV}_

I hadn't meant to scare Glenn with the move, but it was something Toothless, and I were practicing in the event I do ever fall off him. The test was to see how close we could cut it towards the ground that still gives Toothless room to pull up after catching me. It was a rescue maneuver and never got worked on during training, so I figured I might as well do some things that could come in handy.

So, now I'm back at the Alpha Barrack, Room Two where Trevor, Dexter, Syrus, and I were staying until all this training the Americans thing was over and we went back home. Walking into the room we shared, I took a long look around. I didn't see much yesterday morning because of how tired I was but seeing it now; it was a decent setup. The first thing seen was the big window across the way with a microwave sitting on top of a mini fridge, and there were two small, rectangular shelving units on either side. I guess that was if we stored on dry, microwavable foods in the room with us.

Each corner of the room had a bed and desk combination. This meant that the office portion was under a well-supported bed over it. There were four dressers around the chamber. Two of them were on either side of the shelving units by the fridge and microwave. The other two were on either side of the entry/exit door to the room. At the foot of each bed was a wooden closet to hang uniforms or other formal clothes in. There were even two drawers at the bottom of the cabinets.

The dressers were four drawer ones, perfect to fit casual clothes like shirts, sweaters, jeans, pajama pants, socks, and underwear. I looked closely at the beds and desks. So, there was a five step wooden ladder to get up into the full-size bed. I also happened to notice that there was a two plug outlet right above the closets. I already know where I was plugging in my cell phone and tablet charger and maybe a clip on bed lamp. I did enjoy reading before bed after all.

Below the bed was the desk space. There was a comfortable rolling chair to sit at, a long space for a computer, some drawers for storage, and shelves for pictures or other trinkets from home. Now, in the center of the room was a three-seater couch, table, and two chairs to relax in. On the left side of the bedroom, there was a bathroom with a stand-up shower, toilet, small linen closet, and a sink with some counter space. It was basically a college dorm room; only it was built for four people.

After admiring the space we get to use for however long we're here for, I started unpacking my black duffle bag which had all my casual stuff in it. Just like at home; underwear, socks, pajama shirts and pants in the first drawer, then regular shirts in the second. In the third were jeans and shorts. Finally, in the last was sweaters. I grabbed my army uniforms which were all put together in a garment bag. I took them out and hung the pants and coats on the hangers, then put the allowed undershirts on the provided shelving off to the side of where clothes hung.

Next, I put my Class A uniform in to hang. I also made sure my ACU hat and beret made it to a shelf. I stored my extra boots on a shelf and left one out to use for training. I would switch them out depending on when they needed cleaning. In the drawer, I folded up my duffel bag and garment bags, then placed them in there. I closed the closet and moved to my backpack where my electronics and pictures were. I took everything out slowly and carefully, then started putting it all in place. When everything was setup, I stepped back and smiled. Finally, I was done unpacking! I checked my watch; it was 9:15 am.

Not bad for only taking an hour to do it all. I glanced at the others and saw that they were almost done too. The last thing I did was stick my shower bag my closet, that way whether I showered in the room or down the hall in the big bathroom, I'd have easy access to my stuff. I decided to wander the barrack while Trevor, Syrus, and Dexter finished up. I checked out the men's restroom first since I had to go anyway. In there, I could see that there were five showers, four toilet stalls, and sinks, then three urinals. Decent, it would work since there were fourteen males in our platoon. Plus the fact we had our bedroom facilities too, I'm sure we wouldn't all have to be in a mad rush to the bathroom, and a situation would form where there wasn't enough to go around.

Leaving there, I sauntered over to the end of the barrack where the activity/hang out room was. It looked like an employee break room, just bigger. Walking in, there was a large counter area with a sink, a three coffee pot brewing station, the sugar, napkins, spoons, and more right next to it. There were two huge refrigerators for cold items; it said right on it a piece of paper hanging on the door to label what was yours with your name and the date it got put in. There were two large garbage cans by the doorway I stood in. There were also about three round tables with eight chairs at each, a sitting area with couches and comfortable chairs to watch TV or read in. Hell, there were even vending machines with drinks and snacks in them.

This barrack was a small hotel! I might actually enjoy my time here if this was the accommodations we had just down the hall and in our own rooms. Even the Trainer Headquarters building was incredible, it had so much to do in it, and I knew we wouldn't be training all the time. Too much learning would overload someone, and there was no room for error in dragon training because it was all done with the help of a bond. I could honestly admit that this is rather exciting; being almost nineteen hours from home by airplane but doing what I love to do which was work with dragons. I liked it here, and it would be an experience I won't forget, it was just going to be an adjustment.


	8. Training Has Begun

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; HarrisonXAddilyn_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! Also, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character; Ella(Eira) Solveig. She belongs to my good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

8) Training Has Begun

 _{Harrison's POV}_

 **[Monday, January 5, 2015]**

Well, I had to admit that it's been an exciting week since arriving here in the United States of America. After getting settled in on the 30th, the day after we arrived at Fort Benning, the Wind Rider Platoon got to enjoy a full tour of the base. It was huge! I couldn't believe how much there was to see and all the training and schooling available in this place. I took Toothless flying every morning and night, it was our thing, but I never ventured out past the base since I didn't have a clue to where I'd be going. We actually did end up getting in some sight-seeing. Georgia was cool, and I liked it so far. Hopefully, with more time here, I could see the whole state, or travel to others. I'm sure with Toothless it wouldn't be very hard.

So, here we are, a week after arriving and today starts the training of the trainees. These soldiers who are already Drill Sergeants will become the trainers of the Dragon Training segment of Ft. Benning. All this week, I've been working on a classroom plan, if it could be called that. See, the American's knew dragons existed and the creatures stuck to the woods, water, or mountains even, but they knew nothing about them, and that's where the Wind Rider Platoon and I come in; to teach them about the creatures they live among and how to live in peace together.

Basically, we were teaching them a new way of life. The president had said that for now, only the soldiers would work with the dragons and then if that went well, it could be expanded to the civilians, with proper teachings of course. I made an attempt to call home once a day, but sometimes I was just too tired busy or we had the five-hour time change to handle. I made time on New Year's Eve, I called at 6:30 pm, talked for half an hour to everyone, then celebrated the New Year early with them since it was Midnight back on Arc Isle. I put together a pretty extensive learning plan to do all this teaching with, then ran it by Major General Wright and Glenn. After the accepted it, I spoke to the platoon so they would know what we were doing.

The most confusing thing about all this was how the training would go. See, Ft. Benning is a One Station Unit Training location, like how Fort Fury back home is. So, like what I had to go through, any soldiers training here would get Basic, Advanced, and Dragon Training all in one place and last four months, just as mine did. It wasn't entirely the same, though. On Arc Isle, we had been living among and worked with dragons probably since the time I was ten years old. That's eight more years experience that my home has and no one else does. The legend was that no one would approach the dragons, being fearful of them, so we just kept our world separate but then one day, someone bonded and it turned into all we have now with our winged friends.

Right, back to training. So, as I said, it was going to be a little complicated on how we were teaching the Americans because the US Military Headquarters deemed that Fort Benning would be the best place to offer the training portion of the course. Every military base would offer a course in Basic Training during classroom teachings because it made sense for all incoming soldiers to learn about the dragons, yet, it would only teach them the standard knowledge about the classifications, species, habitat, etc. Fort Benning would become the place where soldiers could learn how to bond, train, and ride a dragon if they so desired. It would be an extra course they could sign up to take, or if they already had a bonded dragon, when the president allowed dragons to roam free, they would get put into the class.

That's how it was for me at Fort Fury. I had bonded before I joined the army so when I got sent to Basic, I also did my Infantry & Dragon Training before graduation as a full soldier. There was another section for soldiers who knew nothing about dragons, that was a general knowledge course, and then there was a spot for soldiers, after AIT to try and bond, then train. That is what I guess the American's were attempted to do as well and lucky me for being in charge of the test theory to see how it went. As it stood right now, we didn't know how long it would take to teach them everything they would need to know, so this was going to be a process for all involved.

As I mentioned, all military bases were going to add in the core knowledge course to classroom teachings about military law and what not so there was at least two representatives from each base around the US as students to learn and take back with them and start using it. Now, there were only select stations in the United States where Basic Training occurred; I believe they were Fort Benning, Georgia which provides Infantry and Armor OSUT(One Station Unit Training). Next was Fort Jackson, South Carolina then Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri; also provides Corps of Engineers, Chemical Corps, and Military Police OSUT. Finally, there was Fort Sill, Oklahoma; also provides Artillery OSUT.

AIT locations were all over the place, where a soldier went would depend on their MOS or Military Occupational Specialty. There's a lot so that I won't say them all, but you get the picture. Ft. Benning was an OSUT location, and that meant that Basic Combat Training, which is required of all incoming military recruits to complete and Advanced Individual Training would be done. Now, they were going to be adding Dragon Training to that as well. This was going to be intriguing to watch play out. The time now was 8 am, the start of the first class to my three segment training course. It's how I set it up after all.

My platoon had twenty-eight members in it, and all of us would be working together to teach these trainees. The class was split up into two parts because of the number of people needing to be taught so since Dexter, and I held the highest scores in Dragon Training, and both had a Strike Class dragon, we were chosen as the lead teachers. Class started promptly at 8 am after breakfast ended and go until 12, at which time everyone would have lunch. The second half picked up at 2 pm outside on the field where the trainees would get some physical time with seeing a dragon and asking questions about it; this would last until 5 pm, just before dinner at 6 pm. I figured it would give everyone an hour to grab a shower and relax. Right now, I had the training for all this sectioned out into three parts to cover what they needed to know.

The first was General Dragon Knowledge. Next, it would be Drake Laws. Finally, Basic Dragon Training and each of these three things would give them what they needed to know for this to work out. The only thing no one could guess was how long it would take to get through; I was hoping no too long because when this was handled, I could go back home with the platoon and things would be less hectic. So, as I said, two classes. Dexter was teaching a group of thirty-two, and so was I. Syrus and twelve others were giving him a hand while I had Trevor assistance plus the remaining twelve in the platoon to help me out. I had to say the best thing about all this is that even some of the higher up leaders were in the classes, wanting to learn too.

So, here I was in the classroom with Trevor, Chelsea, Ella, and eight others as it was 8:05 am, and the rest of the students had filed in and took their seats, then placed down a big notebook with pens or pencils too. I knew Glenn would be peeking in throughout the day to make sure we were all good. I didn't mind; I knew what I was doing and so did Dexter. Well, here started my orders. Hopefully, it would be a good day.

"That should be everyone," I said and looked to Trevor with the nod to go ahead and shut the doors to the room we were using. Trevor returned to my side in position as I faced the students. Here we go.

 _{Normal POV}_

"Welcome to Dragon Training. My name is Harrison Haddock, and I will be your teacher for the duration of this training session. I can't give you a definite on how long you will be here; it depends on how fast you retain the information. Now, I've broken this course up into three parts to make it easier, so you'll know what we're working on in each. The first is General Dragon Knowledge, which is where you are now. This segment covers classifications, species, habitats, food, mating, etc. Next, you'll learn about the laws about bonding, and training a dragon, plus the requirements for permits and licenses in Drake Laws & Regulations. Lastly, you will all get the chance to work with a dragon hands on," Harrison began.

"And everything he said has a more in depth description in the packets coming around to you now," Trevor added in as the twelve assistants grabbed small stacks and began passing them out to the others.

"So, we have to know all this before we get near the dragons?" asked Major General Wright.

"No, but this information allows you to coexist with them. I also wouldn't advise going near a dragon unless you know about it. For example; would you approach a Night Fury with no previous knowledge of it considering it's a rare dragon?" Harrison asked.

"Well, no, but how does bonding go then? Can't the dragon pick who it bonds to?" asked someone else.

"If they are enough to you, yes. However, approaching a dragon you don't know about can be dangerous as some are very skittish and particular is how you near them. That is the purpose of segment one, learning about the species, likes, dislikes, personalities, habitats, food source, so on and so forth," Chelsea mentioned gently.

"Mr. Haddock?" MG Wright stated as Harrison looked at him to continue. "Perhaps it might be a good idea to give the students a little information about you and your platoon members. Well, those in this classroom at least? Might be a good idea for everyone to know one another?" he suggested.

"That was next, Major General," Trevor smiled.

"Right. So to begin, these men and women here are members of the Wind Rider Platoon. There are twenty-eight total and then our commanding officer, Lieutenant Glenn Belmore. There are fourteen of us in here, and the others are over with the second class which is being taught by my friend, Dexter. Anyway, as I said, I'm Harrison Haddock. I'm eighteen-years-old, turning nineteen at the end of February. I'm a Private First Class Infantryman for the AI Army, and I own a teenage male Night Fury," Harrison said calmly, giving just a little about himself.

"What's his name?" asked one female.

"Toothless and I gave him that name because unless he's mad, he doesn't show his teeth due to them being retractable," Harrison replied.

"What about your family?" said another with a smile.

"I have a Mom, Dad, and little brother. For the remaining thirteen soldiers in here from the platoon, I'll let them introduce themselves with only their name, rank, job, age, and dragon. We can go over more on personal time," Harrison said as everyone nodded and Trevor started things off, and it continued through the rest of his friends for ten minutes total.

"Alright, I think we should get started on the dragon classifications as there are only seven of them. These classes will help you to understand what you're working with," Ella beamed.

"I'm going to tell you what they are; then we'll go more into detail about what types of dragons fall into those categories. The seven classes are; Boulder, Sharp, Mystery, Tracker, Stoker, Tidal, and Strike," Harrison started as he turned on his laptop and logged into it, then hooked up the cord to the projector to show a power point presentation. "I put this together to show you an example of each classification. We'll start with Stoker, and the dragon you see here on the screen is a Monstrous Nightmare,"

Harrison continued to show them one dragon from each class, then moving on to let the students pick the class they wanted to learn about first. Harrison did it this way so that they could focus one section at a time, seeing the dragons that were in that segment, and then breaking it down more to give details about each dragon in that classification.

"So, after seeing an example from each class, which would you like to focus on first?" Trevor asked.

"Tracker looks awesome. Can we do that one?" one inquired.

"Tracker is a fun class, and there are only six dragons in it right now," Chelsea stated.

"Alright, we'll start with Tracker," Harrison smiled. "In this group, we have the Deadly Nadder, Rumblehorn, and the Submaripper, which also doubles as a Tidal Class dragon but we'll get to that when we start discussing the individual species. So, the name gives away what these dragons are exceptional at; tracking. These dragons are natural born hunters due to having a highly acute sense of smell or taste that enables them to track down and find things,"

"Woah," the class swooned as Harrison was showing a few pictures of the three types in Tracker Class, he stopped on one of his dad with Skullcrusher, a Rumblehorn.

"Who is that guy in the picture?" MG Wright inquired.

"Oh, that's my dad and his male Rumblehorn, Skullcrusher. My dad is chief of police back home, Skullcrusher helps him out a lot," Harrison explained.

"So, these dragons would probably make excellent police ones, like how we have dogs to track down leads and stuff?" one male asked.

"Correct," Harrison nodded. "I suppose while we're stopped on Rumblehorn, might as well start there with facts about them and what not," he added, and that's where it began. Harrison and the others started talking about the Rumblehorn species. This marked the beginning of Thor only knew how much more to be taught but at least the training had begun.


	9. The Deployment Call

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; HarrisonXAddilyn_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! Also, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character; Ella(Eira) Solveig. She belongs to my good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

9) The Deployment Call

It was six weeks later from the day Harrison and the other members of the Wind Rider Platoon had begun teaching the American soldiers about dragons. Much to Harrison's surprise, it only took three weeks to show them the dragon classes and all the dragons in each. Starting the following Monday, January 12th, 2015, Harrison gave them a test on the dragon classifications and when they passed that, they got to move on to Drake Laws & Regulations. Everything in that section was the rules to follow about approaching, bonding, owning, training, and Riding a dragon. It also covered permits and licensing, so all of that took six weeks total.

Now, it came the exciting part that they had all been waiting for; the portion of the teaching where they could be outside and working with the dragons! Yes, Harrison was going to have them begin with Terrible Terrors, it was a great beginner dragon because the Terrors were small and simple to train. Also, it would work in Harrison's favor to be able to teach calls, commands, and hand signals; a crucial part of dragon training. Harrison did make it clear that while most dragons were trainable, others would be harder than others and require more effort to make listen.

So today was February 16th, 2015, and it was supposed to start the Basic Dragon Training with the Terrors. Currently, it was four in the morning, and Harrison felt horrible. Since 3:20 am, Harrison felt warmer than usual and all around achy with a headache. Harrison decided to grab one of his pain killers/fever reducers off the dresser top, then the water bottle he kept there and took two.

"Harrison, you alright?" Syrus asked while sitting up in bed.

"Yeah, I'm all right, Sy. Just have a headache," Harrison replied as he shielded his eyes from the light Syrus's phone gave off. "Go back to sleep," he added. Syrus nodded as he turned off the flashlight and put his mobile down, then went back to sleep. Harrison took another drink and laid his head on the pillow, then drifted back to sleep by 4:45 am, thankfully, they didn't have to be up until 7:30 am at the latest.

 **[10:40 am]**

Harrison began to feel worse around this time; he was tired, the headache had turned into full body ache, and to top it all off, he felt like he was going to throw up. Glenn had come over to watch the training; he was standing with Major General Wright, the two were talking a bit about how things were going.

Glenn watched Harrison for a few minutes because he looked miserable and tired. Glenn finally moved towards his soldiers. "Private Bazirk," Dexter looked over at Glenn now, "Lead the class. Haddock, come with me please," Harrison nodded as he followed Glenn in the opposite direction away from the trainees and platoon.

"You wanted to see me, Lieutenant?" Harrison began after giving his commanding officer a respectful salute.

"That I did, lad. I've been watching you for a few minutes; I wanted to see if anything was bothering you and make sure you're okay because you don't look it," Glenn informed.

"I'm just feeling under the weather today and didn't sleep well last night," Harrison admitted.

"Why don't you go to the infirmary and get checked out, Harrison? If you are sick, you'll be needing some rest. So see the medic and keep me posted?" Glenn ordered. Harrison sighed and nodded to him.

"Sir, yes sir," Harrison saluted again as he continued walking back towards the Alpha Barrack since it was near the infirmary.

 **[Infantry & Dragon Trainer Headquarters-Infirmary; 10:50 am]**

After a ten-minute walk, Harrison arrived where he'd been ordered to go by his Lieutenant. Harrison entered the headquarters and found the infirmary on the right side of the corridor; then he walked in.

"Can I help you?" came a sweet voice. Harrison found the voice belonged to a young woman with short light brown hair in back, longer on top with side swept bangs and blond highlights through out it, she also had amber eyes.

"My CO told me to come here and find out what's making me not feel well," Harrison answered.

"Come have a seat over here, and you can tell me what's going on," the woman smiled and led Harrison over to one of the cot-like beds near the desk. Harrison sat down on the side while the female grabbed her clipboard and few sheets of paper. "Can you start with your name and age?"

"Harrison Haddock, eighteen but turning nineteen at the end of next week," Harrison told her.

"Well, Harrison, I'm Illiana and one of the lead nurses here. Dr. Zane Burton is the one who will diagnose you. I just get the information for a visitor file, I know you're one of the Arc Isle soldiers," Illiana smiled, and Harrison nodded. "So, why don't you tell me everything you're feeling symptom wise and when did it start?"

"Woke up again at 3:20 am feeling warm, body and head aching. At 4 am, I took a fever reducer, and pain killer then had trouble getting back to sleep. Around 10:15 am, I been feeling everything including nausea and dizziness," Harrison explained. "And my throat started hurting on the walk over," he added. Illiana wrote it down, checking off boxes too before she grabbed the thermometer and ran it across his forehead. When it beeped, she looked at the screen.

"100.9," she said then wrote it down and checked his blood pressure next. "That's where it should be," she said gently before getting up and checking his ears, mouth, throat, and listening to his heart and breathing.

"What have we got, Illy?" asked a tall male with black hair and blue eyes who had walked over. Illiana handed the doctor the clipboard for him to scan over. "Safe to say we can call this the flu, Mr. Haddock. I suspect that it will get worse over the next few days too. The best cure would be to drink water, eat light, and if the vomiting starts, stay close to the bathroom. Tylonel should take care of any pain and keep the fever down," Dr. Zane informed.

"So I guess that I won't be working?" Harrison asked.

"I wouldn't advise it, son. The flu gets worse before it gets better. I would suggest you get back into bed and take a few days off. Or in this case, I would stay on the couch," Zane stated. Harrison nodded as the doctor filled out a sheet of paper and signed the bottom. "Take this to your CO and then go rest up," he said.

"I will. Thanks," Harrison got up slowly and tucked the paper into his pocket.

"Oh, and take some of these," Illiana stopped Harrison, then handed him two packs each of Dayquil and Nyquil, and even a small bag of cough drops. "If you end up getting a stuffy, runny nose, or a cough, those will help," she smiled. Harrison offered one back before leaving the infirmary and returning to the Dragon Training Field. Of course, by this time, it was 11:20 am.

"Harrison, there you are! Where'd you go?" Trevor asked when he and the other friends saw Harrison making his way towards them. "You just vanished after Belmore pulled you aside,"

"Sorry," Harrison paused and closed his eyes while keeping the vomit down that was rising in his throat. "Where...is he anyway?" he finished his sentence.

"You don't look so good, my friend," Dexter pointed out.

"Lad, back from the infirmary I see," Glenn stated while walking up to Harrison and the group. "So, what is the final verdict from the medic?" he asked, Harrison got the paper from Dr. Zane out of his pocket and handed it to Glenn.

"You were in the infirmary?" Olivia wondered, and Harrison nodded to her.

"What's up, why aren't you talking?" Syrus question.

"Trying...not to...throw up," Harrison admitted. Glenn put the paper in his pocket and sighed.

"Well, doctors orders, Haddock. Yer on bed rest for the remainder of the week," Glenn said.

"Bed rest? What for? What's wrong with him?" Trevor asked.

"Harrison has the flu so that he won't be working until next week. That puts you in charge of training, Private Bazirk. You, Haddock, better be getting a move on back to the barrack. I'll bring by some water bottles to keep in your mini fridge and light foods to try and keep down," Glenn informed.

"Aw, man. That sucks, Harrison. You need any help getting to the room?" Dexter wondered.

"No, I'll be...okay," Harrison forced out as he turned to start the walk back to the barrack. Another ten to fifteen minutes before he could lie down.

"I hope you feel better, Harrison!" Stephanie, Chelsea, Olivia, and Ella called to him. Harrison raised a hand to wave but continued walking; he just wanted to get some more sleep and hopefully make it back before he threw up his breakfast.

 **[11:50 am-A Barrack; Rm. 2]**

It took twenty minutes to reach the barrack due to Harrison needing to stop so he wouldn't throw up on the pathway. Finally, he got there and immediately went to the bathroom to puke three times. Afterward, Harrison sat against the wall until 12:10 pm where vomited again once before wiping his mouth and flushing the toilet, Harrison brushed his teeth and used mouthwash to get the taste out, then he finally got a pair of sleep pants and light long sleeve shirt on. By 12:30 pm, Harrison was finally lying down on the long couch with a water bottle on the table and his phone charging with the held of his external battery charger.

After closing the blinds and shutting off the light, Harrison took a deep breath and pulled the covers up to his neck, then turned on his left side and closed his eyes. Harrison was fast asleep by 12:45 pm.

 **[Hours Later At 3 pm]**

Harrison woke up when Trevor, Syrus, and Dexter entered the room around 1 pm; they were bringing the things that Glenn asked them too for Harrison. Of course, the three of them felt horrible when they realized they woke Harrison up by barging in loudly. The sudden movement didn't agree with Harrison's stomach, and he threw the covers off and hurried into the bathroom, shutting the door and puking a few times. Harrison didn't blame them, after all, the four of them shared the room together. Around 1:20 pm, the boys left, and Harrison tried to eat a few crackers, but it made it worse, so he settled on just going back to sleep.

Harrison was starting to get chills and a stuffy nose, things he had been warned about at 2 pm. Harrison knew he wouldn't be going to dinner with the others and had no appetite, either way, so he used one of the throat lozenges, then took two Nyquil pills. Harrison gave that fifteen minutes to kick in; then he laid back down to get some more sleep.

However, now it was 3:00 pm and the boys were returning from an early day because it decided to start storming outside and spooked the Terrors. Of course, they remembered that Harrison could be sleeping so to enter the room slowly and quietly, so they didn't disturb him at all. Dexter opened the door slowly and peered in to see Harrison asleep on the couch, his back turned to them and knocked out.

"Safe to turn the lights on?" Syrus whispered questioningly.

"Best if we don't. Let's just use desk lamps or phone flashlights," Trevor offered as the other two nodded to him and they all made their way into the room, trying to be as quiet as possible.

"Why do you think he's sleeping on the couch rather than his bed?" Dexter wondered.

"If I had to take a guess, it's so he isn't fumbling down the stairs of the bed to get to the bathroom if he throws up," Syrus shrugged as the others nodded, seeming to agree. However, Harrison's cell phone started vibrating against the table, and Harrison groaned a little, shifting. Syrus having been the closest to the table, grabbed it and Harrison stayed asleep as the boys stepped out into the hallway, then checked the caller ID.

"It's his mom," Dexter stated.

"Should we answer it?" Syrus asked.

"We shouldn't, but Harrison mentioned last night that it's been about three days since he talked to them last so maybe it would be a good idea just to let them know he's sick and sleeping it off?" Trevor said in an unsure tone.

"I'll answer it, just so they don't worry," Syrus pressed answer and put it to his ear. "Hi, Mrs. Haddock. It's Syrus," he greeted.

"Syrus? Why are you answering Harrison's phone?" Spencer questioned.

"Because he's asleep, Mr. Haddock," Syrus replied.

"It's...three in the afternoon, why is he sleeping so early?" came Addilyn's voice.

"Harrison came down with the flu this morning; he's on ordered bed rest from the medic in our section," Syrus informed.

"Aw, poor guy. Well, we just wanted to see how he was doing but don't wake him. Let Harrison know we love him and to call us when he's feeling better?" Viviana stated.

"Will do. We better go for now. Talk to you soon," Syrus smiled and then ended the call. "Alright, let's get back inside so I can put this on the table, and I suppose we can go to the Alpha Lounge until dinner so Harrison can sleep peacefully?" he inquired.

"Sounds good to us," Dexter said with Trevor nodded in agreement. Syrus put the phone near Harrison's water bottle, then the three of them slowly exited the room after shutting off the lights. The remainder of the afternoon was calm except for the storm outside. Harrison only woke up around 6:15 pm to drink some water, use the bathroom, throw up twice, then doze off back to sleep around 7 pm. Harrison repeated the same cycle at 10:45 pm when his friends returned to the room and saw how bad he looked, but Harrison just stayed on the water, tried to eat some saltines, then finally he was out for the rest of the night.

 **[Friday, March 13, 2015]**

Harrison was officially nineteen-years-old! March 1st marked Harrison being a year older! Of course, he spent the free time he had that night on Skype with his family and friends celebrating with cake, just like Harrison's friends did the same for him in the Alpha Lounge room with the Wind Rider Platoon. Everyone wanted to be apart of it. It was now the 13th of March, a Friday and the Americans were just about done with their training. Harrison already let his family know that he might be home soon since his work was just about done and they were all excited for that, said they'd throw a big party for him.

However, that happy feeling didn't last when Glenn called all of them to the lounge room for an important announcement about their next assignment. Harrison had an awful feeling about it too, even if he didn't know what it was yet.

 **[Alpha Barrack Lounge Room-6 pm]**

"Now that you're all here," Glenn began once the last three members of Wind Rider Platoon entered the spit they had been asked to meet Glenn in. "I know a lot of you were hoping to go back to Arc Isle and see your families, and you will get to see them for a few days, but then you have to ship out for your next duty station," Glenn said.

"Where is the next place, Lieutenant Belmore?" Ella inquired, and now they saw Glenn's face fall.

"Overseas," the whole room froze except for a few of the females who gasped in shock. "Your next orders are for deployment to Camp Arifjan in Kuwait," Glenn informed sternly. Harrison seemed to be only one who didn't freak out and demand answers, instead, he calmed the rest down.

"HEY!" Harrison yelled as the room got quiet. "Everyone chill out. So we're getting deployed, big deal. It's not like we didn't know it could happen when we made the decisions to join. Now shut up and let Lieutenant Belmore talk," he ordered. "Floor is yours, Lieutenant," he added.

"Thank you, Harrison. As I was saying, you are being deployed for a tour of duty. The bad news, you leave next month on April 12th. The good news, you will get to go home for a week as we're departing from Fort Fury, you will get five days with your families. Also, the tour is only six months long. You will have to return to the US from Kuwait, though. You're going in to help out the Americans and just as the platoon. I'm going to," Glenn let them know calmly.

"When do we leave the USA to go home?" asked Trevor.

"April 4th, it's a Saturday here but will be the 5th by the time we cross the time change and get back the island. Until then, you will continue to teach the Americans the ways of bonding and what not. Are your orders understood?" Glenn asked.

"Yes, Lieutenant Belmore," the soldiers replied, and then he dismissed them. So this was it, they'd gotten the deployment call and had to answer it. In thirty-five days, they were shipping out to Camp Arifjan in Kuwait.


	10. Good & Bad News

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; HarrisonXAddilyn_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! Also, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character; Ella(Eira) Solveig. She belongs to my good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

10) Good & Bad News

 _{Harrison's POV}_

 **[Alpha Barrack Lounge]**

Even with what I said to the others about knowing a deployment overseas could happen, I found myself surprised that it was going to occur so quickly. In April, we were leaving for a six-month tour in Kuwait, staying at Camp Arifjan. Also, April marked one year that I've been in the army. Talk about coincidences, right? From what I understood at the moment; on April 5th, 2015, we'd been arriving back to Arc Isle and get to see our families from the 5th to the 11th; then we shipped out for Kuwait on the 12th. I had to admit that it was a little nerve-wracking to know we were going somewhere that is considered hostile.

I did wonder, though, how come only the Wind Rider Platoon was getting deployed? I was sure that during my Basic Training we were told that the company goes together for this kind of thing. Glenn also mentioned that we were helping out the Americans so that was going to be interesting and I already knew we would be bringing our dragons too. I was grateful for that; I wasn't sure I was ready to do a tour of duty without my best friend there. At the moment, all twenty-eight members of Wind Rider were still in the Alpha Lounge, trying to process that in thirty-five days we would be in Kuwait.

"That's all we get for information?" someone asked.

"That we're getting deployed to Kuwait and staying at this Camp Arifjan place?" another wondered. I sighed heavily; it did suck that we didn't know more about everything, but maybe some of the Americans would know? After all, Arifjan was an American military base.

"Well, we won't learn anything if we don't ask so let's go to dinner and talk to the Americans. Surely they must know about one of their own bases?" I offered. That shockingly seemed to suffice for the time being. The twenty-eight of us exited the lounge and began preparing for dinner.

 **[Trainer Headquarters Mess Hall]**

When we had our food and took a seat, we made sure it was near some of the Americans to talk to them about Kuwait and this camp we'd be stationing at for six months.

"So, interesting question for you guys," started Oliver Clarke, one of our platoon members who didn't have a dragon. In fact, only twelve of us did.

"Sure, shoot?" replied the American soldier with a smile.

"Camp Arifjan, what can you tell us about it?" I asked calmly.

"Well, it's one of our outposts overseas. Why the curiosity?" inquired the man sitting across the table from the person who answered first.

"We just found out we're getting deployed there for six months starting April 12th, 2015," Trevor responded.

"Oh! I can tell you that it's a big camp and broken up into seven zones," said the guy who had the name patch of Vazquez on his uniform.

"But you'll probably only end up being in areas one, two, and six. Section One is an internet cafe, Starbucks, Charley's, bunch other food joints and a place to relax. There are even some gaming systems there too," answered Miller, I think his first name was Steve but wasn't sure.

"Zone Two is living quarters, and basically, it's old warehouses converted into two person rooms, but you'd all be in the same hallway as a platoon," stated Dawson, the first name of Robert.

"And the last spot, six, will be where you end up going to work. However, all of you mentioned being Infantry, didn't you?" said MG Wright who was walking by and had heard the conversation.

"Well, a few of us are. Those of us with dragons are Infantry," I told him.

"Infantry will be running missions and guard shifts for the base or surrounding neighborhoods in Kuwait, maybe some outer lying ones too. The rest who aren't Infantry will likely be in Zone Six doing their assigned jobs," Wright informed. "You'll be okay. Belmore told me about it; you're joining up with some of ours. If you want to see it in action before you go, there is a Camp Arifjan website. You can see everything the base has to offer on that," he added.

"Thank you, Major General Wright. The information helped," Syrus said as the man walked off to sit with some friends and eat. "Well, it's something at least," he stated afterward.

"We'll check out the site after dinner," Dexter said. In agreement to wait and look at the website, the group of us began to eat and talking about how they were going to tell our families. So far, Lieutenant Belmore had instructed not to inform parents, friends, or siblings until we were back on Arc Isle and home with them. It was going to be hard for me not to tell my family or friends that I had a week at home, then I was leaving for six months to Kuwait.

 **[Alpha Lounge-7:15 pm]**

With everyone back in the lounge after dinner and changing out of our uniforms, I somehow got elected into using my laptop to see the website on the projector screen with the lights off. I hooked everything up and then logged into my computer. After the internet had loaded the search page, I typed in: Camp Arifjan, Kuwait and waited for that. A few seconds passed as we were able to see an aerial view of the base and a good shot of each zone. I clicked on Section One and began looking through it all with the others. Afterward, we did the same for Two and Six.

So, we learned that from Zone Two, we could get to the showers and bathrooms. Also, there was a bus to get to and from work in area six. Zone One was the food places and a place to relax or call home. Come to find out; we'd have to pay for the internet, but that was okay. At least would have. Overall, it didn't seem like it would be horrible to live there for six months. I was sure I could handle it because I would have Toothless, I already asked Lieutenant Belmore how that would work.

I learned that we were taking our dragons and could use them to get around the base and for some other things, but there would be times that our winged buddies had to stay at Arifjan. At 8:30 pm, I shut down my computer and returned to the dorm room to lie down and relax a little. The others were still in the lounge, talking about the upcoming deployment. I didn't want to do that; it was going to happen so might as well accept it and get ready. I honestly think the only thing that sucked the most was that we'd only get a week home with our families and then have to leave again. My parents, brother, and friends were going to hate this.

 **[Saturday, April 4th, 2015]**

The days flew by until now, the day we left the US to return to Arc Isle. Currently, we were in the Atlanta, Georgia Airport and waiting for our 1:30 pm flight to Newark, New Jersey, then onto Copenhagen and Arc Isle after that. Yeah, same stops as last time when we flew into Georgia. The platoon and I spent Thursday and Friday packing to make sure we had everything and the dragons left on a boat on Wednesday so they would arrive before we did. As far as I knew, we were boarding our flight in twenty minutes, so I might as well call my family and let them know I'm coming in tonight so they would be able to get me from the airport in Archian City, an hour away from Berkville.

I stepped off to the side and got out my phone. I knew that if it was 1:30 pm for me, then it was 6:30 pm for Mom, Dad, and Nate so they would likely just be finishing up dinner. I called the landline number and put the phone to my ear.

 _"Harrison!"_ I heard a lot of voices say and I winced a bit at the noise.

 _"Hi, son! How are you?"_ greeted my father, Spencer.

"I'm doing alright, Dad. How about you, Mom, and Nate?" I asked.

 _"We're all doing great. Your friends are over too, and of course, Hailey. She just got a call from Dexter. Are you boys on some free time right now?"_ Vivian wondered.

"I know Dex just called Hailey; you forget we're in the same unit? Anyway, hi everyone," I said so my friends wouldn't think I forgot about them.

 _"Hi, Harrison. How're things at Fort Benning?"_ Addilyn asked curiously.

"I, uh, wouldn't know. I left with the platoon about two hours ago now. Look, I don't have long to talk so listen up. We're on our way back to Arc Isle," This time, I pulled the phone away from my ear to hear them all scream,

 _"YOU ARE?!"_

After a minute, I return the device to its position and sighed. "Yes. I'm at the airport in Atlanta, and we're boarding the 1:30 pm flight to Newark, New Jersey in about fifteen minutes. Now, I won't be arriving into Arc Isle until tomorrow night around 4:45 pm, but I thought I'd give you the heads up," I informed.

 _"That's fantastic news, son! Will you be home for a bit or is this just time off?"_ Spencer asked.

I bit back a little because I knew I couldn't tell them about the deployment until we were back on the island. What did I say? That it was time off and I didn't know how long until the next assignment? Yeah, that seemed reasonable. I'd have the whole flight to think of the excuse for why I had such short warning about deployment.

"It's just some leave time, and I don't know for how long. The entire platoon is coming home so it could be for a while or might not be. Our CO said he'll know more tomorrow when we're on our layover in Copenhagen tomorrow morning," I stated.

 _"What is your flight looking like?"_ Regina questioned.

"Leaving Atlanta at 1:30 pm, landing in Newark at 4:09 pm. Layover in New Jersey is an hour and twenty-eight minutes. Leaving there at 5:37 pm and flying overnight into Copenhagen, should be landing at that airport around 7:17 am. We've got a two-hour layover, then flying onward to Arc Isle and should be landing there at 10:32 pm, but with the five-hour time change, it will be 4:30 and by the time they let us off the aircraft, 4:45," I explained.

 _"Well, then we'll meet you at baggage claim/passenger pickup for 4:30 pm tomorrow afternoon. We can't wait to see you, Harrison!"_ Viviana said happily.

"Yeah, can't wait to see you too. I gotta go, for now, they are starting to board. I'll call you on the lay over in Newark; it will be about 9:15 pm, though," I stated.

 _"That's fine, son. Have a safe flight!"_ Spencer said.

"I will. Love you guys," I replied.

 _"Love you too!"_ they called back as I ended the call and shut off my phone. Dexter had just got off his call too.

"Hailey excited about the return?" I asked him.

"I think I went deaf in my left ear from her screaming. It's going to break their hearts to learn we're deploying the week after next," Dexter sighed.

"Well, orders are orders. Come on, let's go line up with the rest," I said. Dexter nodded, and we grabbed our backpacks with the electronics and a set of underwear, socks, and an undershirt to change into when we landed in Copenhagen. Also, we carried a toothbrush, toothpaste, and hairbrush on us to stay a little freshened up for when we returned home. Our first flight was two hours and thirty-nine minutes, following that was a one-hour and twenty-eight-minute layover where we would probably grab an early dinner before boarding the next flight to Copenhagen which would be overnight and a total of seven hours and forty minutes before the next layover.

 **[Sunday, April 5, 2015-5 pm; Arc Isle Airport]**

Arriving at our destination and pulling into the gate at 4:40 pm, the flight attendants said we could stand up to get our overhead bags then file off the aircraft in an orderly fashion. At this point, it was already 5 pm, and we hadn't been allowed to power on our phones until we were in exit tunnel that would lead us from the plane to the building. All I had on me was my backpack with my tablet and a change of clothes in it; the toothbrush, hairbrush, and toothpaste in it too. I had all my music on my phone, so all I needed to do for that was flip on Airplane Mode and use my headphones. Plus, my phone and tablet charger was the same wire, so it worked out that I only needed one charger for both.

"Harrison, am I riding home with you?" Dexter asked while we were walking to passenger pickup and bag claim.

"Yeah. My parents said you can stay in the basement room for now. I haven't told them about the deployment since we haven't been able to. I'm sure they won't mind keeping an eye on Hailey; you have a pretty good arrangement going with them," I smiled at him.

"Thank, man. I owe you and them one for all this," Dexter returned the smile as we reached the escalator and headed down to where all the families were waiting. I would tell my family and friends when we got home; I didn't want to cause any problems in public. Getting to the bottom, Dexter and I stepped off, waving goodbye to the others as we all shared one look that said 'See ya soon.'

"Harry!" Nathaniel cheered as I got tackled instantly by my little brother. I couldn't believe he was thirteen now, already a teenager. Man, the time flew right by. Nate was like me, slim-figured but packed a punch when he drove into you. I hugged him tightly as Dexter got rammed into with a forceful hug from Hailey. Shortly after walking over to everyone and giving the hugs or kiss on the cheek which was mainly my mother because Dad only kissed my forehead or top of my head, we moved to where our bags would be coming around.

Thankfully, this didn't take long because our suitcases and long bags were strapped together and would come off the plane in one group. As they came around on the carousel, the soldiers just put them in a big pile, and then we worked together to make sure everyone got their belongings. By this time, it was 5:30 pm and everyone was breaking off to go home. Dexter and Hailey with my family of course. My friends were driving their vehicles or at least that's what I figured. Addilyn had a car, so did Frankie, so it was my assumption that the Thorston twins rode with one of those two.

 **[Haddock Residence; 6:45 pm]**

After the horrid traffic leaving the airport and grabbing something to eat on the ride home, we reached our destination. I showed Dexter where he would be staying, which as it turned out, was the small office space that my parents used to use. I guess they converted that into another guest room and moved their offices into the basement where it was bigger. The new guest area was smaller, but it was enough to hold a twin bed, mini desk with space for a computer and some drawers, nightstand with two drawers, and six drawer dresser for clothes.

After unpacking and getting a quick ten-minute shower in for each, it was 7:15 pm and we were finally able to relax in the living room. However, t wasn't so easy because now we had to inform them about the deployment and pray to God they didn't get too upset.

"So tell us everything about the last three months?" TJ asked with a broad smile.

"Yeah!" Regina and Nate agreed.

"Did Glenn let you know how long you're home for?" Addilyn wondered. And there was the question we'd been waiting for. I took a deep breath as Dexter sighed and nodded to me.

"Alright, I have good news and bad news about why we're home and for how long. Which do you want first?" I asked straight out. There was no use in putting it off. The times Glenn told us had changed, and now we were leaving on the 11th of April and arriving on the 12th in the evening. I figured this was the best way to break it to them, asking what they wanted first; the good or the bad news.


	11. Go Through With It

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; HarrisonXAddilyn_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! Also, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character; Ella(Eira) Solveig. She belongs to my good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

11) Go Through With It

The Haddock Household living room was quiet after Harrison asked them if they wanted the good or bad news about why he and the others were home on leave. Harrison had yet to reveal that they were leaving on Saturday, which was six days away. All of the information would come out when Harrison told his family and few friends that were there about his six-month deployment to Kuwait but then also, let them know that when the tour ended, he had to return to the US for an unknown amount of time still. Harrison tried to ask Glenn about the matter, but he didn't have an answer for the curious soldiers other than it was due to the fact when Wind Rider arrived there, they were temporarily joining up with an American company to help them out at Camp Arifjan.

The Haddocks, Addilyn, Frankie, Regina, and TJ were all becoming worried about Harrison's choice of words. Why would there be bad news about why the soldiers were home? Hailey was sitting next to Dexter, equally as curious and concerned, wanting to know what was going on.

"I'm afraid I don't understand, Harrison. What do you mean by that?" Spencer spoke first to break the silence.

"Yes, we're home but only for a short time before we ship off to our next location. Harrison wants to know which information you want first," Dexter informed.

"Well, if you have to leave again then I'm assuming all the news is bad," Viviana mentioned with a sigh. "However, I still want to know what is happening so just tell us, Harrison," she added.

Harrison gave a drawn out sigh. "We're only home until Saturday afternoon," he began.

"B-But that's six days away!" Nate pointed out quickly.

"I know. Me, Dexter, and the rest of the Wind Rider Platoon are getting deployed overseas," Harrison said as the room of people gasped in shock. Addilyn and Viviana covered their mouths, fear rising to their eyes as they shook their heads and didn't want to believe it could be true.

"Where to, son? And for how long?" Spencer inquired while attempting to stay calm about the newly arisen situation.

"Camp Arifjan in Kuwait and for six months," Dexter replied as Hailey grabbed onto her brother's arm tightly.

"No! No, please don't go there. It's so dangerous!" Hailey whimpered.

"You know I don't have a choice," Dexter responded gently as he pulled his arm from her and wrapped it around Hailey's waist, then hugged her tightly.

"And after this, will you be home when six months are up?" Frankie wondered. Harrison shook his head.

"That's the bad news. When the tour ends, we're returning to the US, and unfortunately, I do not know for how long this time," Harrison admitted. "I tried to as Glenn about it, and he didn't have an answer either, but he's trying to find out. All we know for now is that only Wind Rider Platoon is being deployed and we're joining with one of the American companies that are already deployed there," he added.

Camp Arifjan is an American military base; it's about a forty-minute drive from Kuwait International Airport which is where we're flying into on Sunday," Dexter enlightened.

"Wait, you just said you were leaving on Saturday, now it's Sunday?" Nate questioned.

"We leave Saturday but won't arrive in Kuwait until Sunday night. It's due to all the layovers. The flight is complicated," Dexter sighed with his eyes closed.

"How so? Do you know the itinerary yet?" Spencer inquired.

"Yeah, we know it. We leave Arc Isle at 2 pm on Saturday and fly to Copenhagen on a two hour and ten-minute flight; we should land there around 4:10 pm," Dexter started.

"And is this all our time zone?" Addilyn interjected.

"Kuwait is two hours ahead of Arc Isle, so the times on our ticket are for the time here in this zone. Be patient, and you'll know what time it will be when we land in Kuwait, okay?" Harrison answered. Addy nodded now and stayed quiet. "The longest portion of this trip is the layover in Copenhagen; we're going to be there overnight until 6:10 am the next morning. From there; it's a one hour and fifty-minute flight into Vienna, then a one hour and twenty-minute layover,"

"So you'll be leaving Vienna at 9:20 am on the twelfth of April, right?" Frankie asked as Harrison and Dexter nodded.

"That's correct. We fly Vienna to Cairo on a three hour and thirty-minute ride, plus the one hour and ten-minute layover. It will be 2 pm that we leave Cairo and fly into Kuwait International on a two hour and thirty-minute flight. After landing there, we'll be taking a bus forty minutes to Camp Arifjan," Dexter stated calmly.

"All that and the two-hour ahead jump, you'll get to the base around 7:15 pm on Sunday?" Spencer looked at the boys now.

"You got it," Dexter nodded to confirm.

"What I don't understand is why you have to join the Americans, and go back with them to the US when the six months are up?" Regina questioned.

"I think it has something to do that a company got deployed there in at the start of December before we got the orders to go and teach the Drill Sergeants about dragons. Their tour ends in October this year-so does ours, but we're going for the last six months of it to help out because they asked if we wouldn't mind sending in some dragon support. Since Wind Rider Platoon has twelve dragon riders and we've seen how the Americans do things, they requested we get sent and assist," Harrison explained.

"Hence why we're going to an American military base overseas," Dexter added. "As for why we have to go there when it's over, no clue. I assume it shouldn't be too long, but we're going to the USA because it will be easier to fly a company out rather than just one platoon," he shrugged.

"But then you'll get to return, right?" Vivian asked.

"I believe so. I don't think there's a reason to keep us there after the tour except to do some unpacking, taking a little time to adjust being out of the war, then return to our home. We'll try to get more information for you as the tour comes to an end," Harrison assured.

"Well, we don't like it, but understand you boys have a job to do. That being said, son," Spencer paused then gave a smile, "you have your mother's, brother's, and my full support. Just try to stay in contact with us?"

"I should be able to without much difficulty," Harrison nodded to him.

"You have ours," Frankie said motioning to himself and the twins.

"Mine too. Stay safe over there," Addilyn said next.

"I'll always support your choices, big brother," Hailey sighed, "But you better Skype me as much as you can," she demanded.

"I'll do my best, sis," Dexter nodded and hugged her again. "We should be able to stay in contact fairly easily. We checked out Camp Arifjan back in the states, it looks amazing," he smiled.

"Why don't you tell us all about it?" Vivian said with a broad smile.

"Well, it's huge and split up into seven sectors. We'll only be in one, two, or six," Harrison informed as he went to get his laptop from his room. Harrison brought it downstairs with the HDMI cord from his room and hooked it up to the sixty-five-inch flat screen. After logging in, Harrison brought up the web page that he had saved from when they looked in the US.

"So what are these three zones you'll be in?" Spencer asked.

"Well, the first is the post exchange. It's a place to get uniform replacements, clothes, boots, and I think electronics. Area Two is our living quarters," Harrison said while bringing up one of the rooms. "This building is an old warehouse, converted into two person rooms," he went on.

"Think of it as a college dorm. You get a bed, big closet, and desk. There's also a refrigerator and TV too. The walk to the bathrooms and showers is ten minutes though, so that will suck but I'm sure we can deal," Dexter chuckled.

"Zone Six is a work space for those who aren't Infantry. You know, like desk workers and others jobs that don't involve going on missions and patrols," Harrison stated.

"How many of you are infantry?" Addy wondered.

"Just the twelve of us who have dragons. And I think we have two field medics too, but the rest work in an office while monitoring things or radioing other places. Not sure, never paid much attention to it since it's not my job," Harrison shrugged his shoulders.

"Now, you were saying that communication will be easy?" Frankie asked as he remembered what Dexter had said.

"Yeah. Zone One has a bunch of fast food places on top of the general mess hall we can use. Also, there's this place called the MWR. It has gaming systems, TV, and an internet cafe. Oh, and the connection center, a way for us to call home if our cell phones don't work," Dexter replied.

"You don't get wifi in your rooms?" Hailey blinked.

"Well, we do if we pay for it. There are different options; day, week, a month I think. It's $40 per month, and we get a card that will allow us access, it's got a code or something," Harrison answered.

"What kind of fast food places?" Regina wondered.

"Pizza Hut, Charley's Subs, Hardees's Burgers, Subway, Burger King, Pizza Inn, Taco Bell, KFC, Baskin Robbins, Hawaiian Ice, Panda Oriental, Green Beans Coffee, Hole N One Doughnuts, Starbucks, Nathan's Hot Dogs, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, and Cinnamonster. There is also a large Chilli's restaurant," Dexter listed off.

"We also get access to the fitness centers. There's two; Zone One and Zone Six," Harrison smiled.

"Seems like you're gonna have it made there," Addilyn giggled.

"Right? And for us, they've got places we can put our dragons depending on where we are. Oh, and can bring them on some missions. There are dragons in Kuwait, wild ones at that. I guess that might be a reason they need us because they don't know how to handle them," Harrison mentioned as the thought now crossed his mind.

"That will be awesome. How are the dragons getting there?" TJ asked.

"I think they've converted some of the cargo planes to handle dragon transport. I mean, quite a few of the dragons are massive, so I'm not sure. Toothless is about 1,370 pounds, but Hookfang is 6,000. I have no idea how they're gonna do it," Dexter pondered.

"I'm sure Glenn is figuring all that out," Harrison stated.

"Well, it seems you boys and girls will be taken care of while you're there," Viviana mentioned.

"That's what we've been told," Harrison nodded. "And I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm exhausted," he yawned.

"I'm with you on that one, brother," Dexter agreed while stretching. "Calling it an early night," he added.

"Same. See you guys tomorrow after school?" Harrison asked.

"For sure. Syrus coming too?" Regina inquired.

"Not sure, we'll ask him. I know at some point tomorrow, I gotta go see Calvin and the crew," Harrison chuckled.

"I think it's a good time for all you kids to get home so these two can get some sleep," Spencer said as Addy, Frankie, TJ, and Regina got up to say goodbye, then they left the Haddock House. Harrison said good night to Nathaniel, then his mother and father before going upstairs to his room and closing the door. Dexter bid everyone a good night and led Hailey up to her room; then he went to his temporary one. Sure, there would be more to talk about, but it could wait until after some sleep was had.

 **[Hofferson Residence]**

 _{Addilyn's POV}_

Harrison was going to be leaving for a six-month deployment to Kuwait on Saturday afternoon, and this was another chance for me to tell him how I felt, I found myself nervous to do so, though. My fears were the same as before about telling Harrison that I liked him as more than a friend. I could tell Harrison I had feelings for him, but he could say he didn't feel the same. Or, I could let him know, and he might return them. The last thing was Harrison liking me back, but because of the tour, he didn't want to be in a long distance relationship. I could live with either of those two last options, but I knew I wouldn't find out the answer unless I came out and informed him.

I knew Harrison had to be stressed with the deployment, so I was stuck deciding on telling him before he left or waiting for him to get back from Kuwait, then the US. The problem with that second choice was that I didn't know when he'd be back from there. No. I had to suck my worries and nervousness up and tell Harrison that I liked him, maybe even loved him, but I wouldn't push my luck until I knew how he felt for me. After I got home, took a shower, and climbed into bed, I had made my decision; I was going to go through with it.


	12. When He Returns

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; HarrisonXAddilyn_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! Also, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character; Ella(Eira) Solveig. She belongs to my good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

12) When He Returns

Harrison and Dexter must have slept until 8:30 am Monday morning, 4/6/2015, after going to bed so early when they informed family and friends about the deployment. It had not been easy to do but necessary to let them know what was going on. Upon waking up at said time, everyone had already left for school or work. Of course, they didn't want to go because they felt they were losing time with Harrison, given the fact he was deploying for six months to Kuwait on Saturday afternoon from Arc Isle Airport. However, Harrison let them know that he and Dexter weren't going anywhere and there was no need to take time away from jobs or an education just to see them.

Harrison was up first; he used the bathroom, shower, shaved, and then returned to his room to get dressed. Dexter had gone in after Harrison to do the same things, then the both of them met in the kitchen for breakfast and coffee. The rest of the day got spent at the Haddock House, relaxing and talking about the deployment until the family came home or friends came over. Syrus had said he would catch them another time because his family wanted him back for now. It was understandable as they'd been away for three months, and now about to leave again for six months, then wouldn't even be returning to Arc Isle when it was over, they were going back to the USA.

There was a small party to welcome Dexter and Harrison home that Monday night, even Harrison's grandparents came and he was happy to see them. On Tuesday the 7th, the day was calm with Harrison and Dexter taking care of thing things for while they were away and that night, Dexter sat down with Viviana and Spencer to ask if they could keep the arrangement of Hailey staying with them while Dexter was deployed. Of course, the Haddock parents agreed, and the date on the papers got extended until Dexter returned to Arc Isle. The payments would continue as they had while the boys were in the US on their station assignments. Also, Dexter said that when they got back home, he would be getting an apartment and letting Hailey live there if he ever had to go away again, then would set up the money situation to be paid automatically while leaving something for Hailey to use.

On Wednesday, Harrison left the house to go to Berky's and see his old boss and crew; they were excited to see him too!

 **/Flashback; Wednesday the 8th of April 2015/**

 _The time was 9:15 am as Harrison decided to go to his old job and visit the workers and Calvin for a bit since Dexter was off getting some personal care items for himself during deployment. Harrison left Toothless at home; it was easier, so no one got all worked up about there being a Night Fury on the premises. Harrison pulled into Berkys parking lot shut off the truck, then he stepped out and walked through the right side entry door to see familiar faces._

 _"Hey guys, guess who is back until Saturday?" Harrison greeted._

 _"HARRISON!" the employees cheered all rushing over to to the front counter to see him. Calvin hurried out of the back office and hugged Harrison tightly._

 _"Finally back are you?" Calvin asked with a smile._

 _"Just until Saturday afternoon, then I' leave again," Harrison replied calmly._

 _"Back to the states?" asked Sierra._

 _"Nope. Heading overseas for six months," Harrison informed as they gasped._

 _"Where to?" asked another worker._

 _"Kuwait," Harrison responded. "I guess the Americans need a little dragon support, so my platoon and I are going to join up with them until October," he added._

 _"Those enemies won't know what hit them," Calvin chuckled. All of the employees were aware that Harrison had a Night Fury and not much could hold a candle to that dragon._

 _"Where are you stationing?" said one of the males. "I got an American friend I play online with who is deployed in Kuwait,"_

 _"We're going to Camp Arifjan," Harrison answered._

 _"Nah, won't be where he is but you two will be within twenty miles of one another," the employee mentioned._

 _"So, what's been going on here?" Harrison asked now._

 _"Same shit, different day. Miss having you here, the drive-thru times were great," Calvin laughed a little. "When do you leave?" he inquired._

 _"Saturday at two in the afternoon from Arc Isle. Flying to Copenhagen, overnight layover, then onto Vienna and Cairo, landing in Kuwait International around 6:30 pm, their time zone, should be 4:30 here. Then we have a forty-minute drive to the camp," Harrison enlightened._

 _"Can I recruit you until Friday night?" Calvin asked._

 _"Sorry, boss. I got too much to do with packing and going away parties," Harrison smiled._

 _"How about when you get back? You'll need something to keep your hands busy after the tour," Calvin wondered hopefully._

 _"Unfortunately, for the reason that I still don't know, we're going to the US again after the deployment ends in September. Not sure why, we haven't been told, but after that whole thing is over, I'll be back, and as long as I'm not getting assigned anywhere else, sure, I'll come back," Harrison stated._

 _"You get leave time, right?" Sierra pondered._

 _"Of course. Not sure when yet, I assume somewhere in the halfway mark," Harrison nodded. For the next half hour, it was quiet at Berkys with only a few customers, and then it got slammed hard at 9:50 am. Harrison hated watching them be short staffed and running around trying to get things done. Harrison decided to help out, he went to his truck and grabbed his extra work shirt, then the name tag. Harrison was wearing his sneakers; he was sure he'd be okay._

 _Harrison went into the bathroom and threw the shirt on and buttoned it up, then put the tag in place as he washed his hands and came out then walked behind the counter._

 _"Harrison, what are you doing?" Calvin asked._

 _"Helpin' out for the rush," Harrison replied. Calvin grinned like an idiot and kept working._

 _"Better clock in then!" Calvin called while bagging up an order. Harrison chuckled as he clocked in and then started filling orders for front counter until the guests were all taken care of._

 _"Sierra, go go collect trays and wipe down tables, but keep an eye for guests," Harrison told her. Sierra nodded with a broad smile as Harrison moved over to the drive-thru window. "Cal, help on sandwiches, I got this," he said._

 _"Man, it's good to have you back even if just for a few hours," Calvin stated as he moved away from the corner position to the sandwich line and started helping with making the sandwiches. Harrison took over calling out what he needed for fries, nuggets, or tenders while bagging up food to hand out the window with customers drinks._

 _ **[8 pm]**_

 _"Harrison, I friggin owe you my life for stepping in to help out," Calvin shook Harrison's hand after he had clocked out. Harrison worked from 10:00 am to 8 pm because it got slammed through breakfast, lunch, and into dinner. It was then that Harrison realized there was an event going on in town and everyone was choosing to dine out for quick dinner purposes. Harrison decided to stay and help the crew and Calvin out._

 _"Not a problem. Don't worry, I'll come see you on Friday before I leave," Harrison smiled as he shook Calvin's hand then he left the building and drove home._

 **/End Flashback/**

Yeah, Harrison got home that night and was met by his worried family for where he'd been all day. Harrison told them that Berkys got slammed at 10 am so he stepped in to help, and it ended up being all day he was there but didn't care because he had nothing else to do. Harrison made himself something to eat then relaxed until 11 pm when he decided to go to bed.

Thursday was uneventful too so Harrison decided to go back to Berkys and work a twelve hour day from 9 am to 9 pm. Why shouldn't he? Calvin had an emergency with his new baby, so Harrison chose to fill in. Finally, though, it was Friday. Harrison and Dexter spent all day packing their bags for the departure tomorrow afternoon. Hailey and Nate were home, so was Viviana and Spencer. It was Harrison and Dexter's last day for a long time, and they wanted to spend time with them.

After school hours had ended, Addy, Frankie, Regina, and TJ came over to hang over and for dinner. A small going away party for the boys happened too. Now, it was 8 pm with only Addilyn still over as Harrison was helping her with homework that involved Strike Class dragons and they were in Harrison's room using his desk.

"So, the Strike Class dragons are the most elite ones?" Addilyn asked.

"They seem to be; the other dragons don't challenge them," Harrison replied. "What's your next question?"

"Um, information about Night Furies?" Addy inquired.

"Well, they have retractable teeth and can fly faster than the speed of sound or so I've heard. I never tested it," Harrison chuckled a little and Addy did too. "Uh, I know that Toothless has a wing span of forty-eight feet and weighs close to 1,400 pounds. You can tell a Night Furies age by the little tendrils under their chins. If they lose their tail fins, they will never fly again because the tail controls the rest of their flight," he continued.

"You know so much," Addilyn smiled softly.

"Well, I make it my business to know about my dragon," Harrison informed with a shrug. "So, is that everything?" he asked as Addilyn closed the book and put her things away in her backpack.

"Yeah, that's all of it. Thanks for helping me Harrison, and agreeing to take me home since my car is getting fixed," Addilyn told him. Initially, Addy arrived with Frankie and the twins since her car was in the shop until Monday afternoon.

"It's no trouble. Are you ready to go home?" Harrison asked. Addilyn nodded as the two stood up and exited Harrison's room, then walked down the stairs. "I'm taking Addy home, be back in twenty!" Harrison called to his parents, Dexter, Hailey, and Nate who were sitting in the living room.

"Okay, son!" Spencer shouted back. Harrison led Addilyn to his truck, and the two climbed in, then buckled their seatbelts. Harrison started the vehicle up and backed out of the driveway, then headed down the road to Addilyn's place. Addy only lived ten minutes away, so it wasn't a far drive for him.

 _{Addilyn's POV}_

This was my last chance to tell Harrison that I liked him a lot. Tomorrow, Harrison was getting on a plane to go to Kuwait for six months and even after that tour ended, he was returning to the US. I had to say something tonight, even if he didn't like me back, I had to tell him how I felt. Who knows, maybe if he knew I liked him, he would see me differently as some point. Either way, I wouldn't know what the future held for Harrison and I if I didn't speak up now.

"You know, I'm really gonna miss you when you leave tomorrow, Harrison," I started.

"Oh, come on. Don't you get all emotional on me too, Addy," Harrison smiled softly and glanced at me. "We'll still be able to instant message and e-mail, possibly Skype a few times if you want to that is?" he added.

"Of course, yes. I'd like that a lot," I replied. "It's just going to be weird not having you around again,"

"I know. I'm going to miss all of you too. It's been great to be home, and hey, I'll get leave time at some point, so you'll see me then," Harrison reminded. Reaching my driveway, Harrison pulled in and parked as he sat back to relax and I found myself not getting out of the truck, only looking down and fiddling with my fingers. "Something wrong?"

"Hm? No, no. I'm okay, I just..." I started gently and was trying to keep myself from crying, but I guess Harrison figured that out because he shifted to lift my chin with his face.

"Hey," Harrison began as I couldn't hide the tears that had formed and threatened to fall down my face. "What's the matter, Addy?"

I couldn't help it, I wrapped my arms around his midsection and hugged him tightly while burying my face in his shirt. Much to my surprised, he hugged me back.

"I-I want you to be safe out there, Harrison. Please, be careful," I pleaded lightly.

"You know I will be as safe as I can, Addilyn, but I'm not invincible, and things happen sometimes. Don't worry; I'm trained to fight in wars," Harrison tried to assure me. "Where is all this coming from? I haven't even gotten it from mom yet," he asked next. I pulled myself off him and wiped my eyes.

"I-I'm sorry, Harrison. I just-I'm terrified of never seeing you again. You mean a lot to me and I couldn't bear the thought of you being gone. Not in the dead sense, just in general," I admitted. "Harrison, I have a confession to make. I-I don't see you as a friend anymore, I like you, a lot and have since Freshman Year when we did that play. I want...to be with you," There. I'd said it, and now I could only pray that he didn't throw me out of his truck and demand I never speak to him again.

I couldn't quite tell what he was thinking, his face looked more surprised than anything else. I just wanted him to say something, anything as long as it wasn't 'get out.'

"You like me? As in more than a friend?" Harrison asked once he found his words. I nodded to him. "Addilyn, I-I don't know how to respond to this. We've...always been friends for as long as I can remember. Fifth grade I think," he stated.

"Y-Yeah, that's when we met," I confirmed. "I wanted to tell you how I felt before but got scared it might...ruin our friendship if I did. With you about to leave for Kuwait and I won't see you for a long time, I just...I wanted you to know my feelings for you," I added.

Harrison seemed to sit back with a sigh. "Addy, I'll be completely honest with you here, I don't know how I feel for you. I know I care about you as a friend, but I'm not sure if it's more than that. Truthfully, I don't know if I can...give you an answer tonight because I'm deploying tomorrow for six months, then after that, going on to the US again. I'm wicked stressed out and I...don't think I can pile this on top of all that at the moment,"

I felt my heart skip a beat, worrying that he would just say to forget it. This had been one of my fears from the beginning, making things harder for him. However, I was shocked to feel his hand on mine as I looked him in the eyes. "Look. I don't know how I feel for you, Addliyn and right now, I don't have time to try and figure it out because of everything going on. But, when things settle down in Kuwait, and I've adjusted to being there, and how things work, I'll give it some thought, okay?"

"Y-You mean you'll try and figure out if you...return my feelings or not?" I asked, surprised at his response.

"Yes and when I get back to Arc Isle, we'll talk about things again. Alright? Is that...fair? I'll think about it while I'm deployed, and when I return, we'll revisit this matter then?" Harrison asked.

"Yes. Yes, that's more than fair, Harrison. Thank you," I said quickly. Harrison nodded, relaxing a little. "I, uh, I should probably get inside," I added afterward then leaned in fast and kissed his cheek before grabbing my bag and getting out of the truck.

"See you tomorrow when I leave?" he asked and I nodded to him.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," I replied and waved to him as I entered my house, dropping my backpack on the floor and pressing my back against the door with a sigh of relief almost. Harrison agreed to think about his feelings, and we would talk about it again. It wasn't a no, but it was a maybe. All I had to do was wait for him to get back and I'd have my answer when he returns.


	13. Life At Arifjan

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; HarrisonXAddilyn_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! Also, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character; Ella(Eira) Solveig. She belongs to my good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

13) Life At Arifjan

 _{Harrison's POV}_

 **[Saturday, April 11, 2015-Arc Isle Airport; 1:20 pm]**

The day had come for myself and the members of Wind Rider Platoon to leave our peaceful island and start the six-month tour in Kuwait. Currently, we were set to board the aircraft to take us to Copenhagen in about twenty-five minutes and then leave the airport at 2 pm as planned. This last week had been great at home; I needed that time with family and friends before this deployment started. Of course, Addilyn's words about liking me more than a friend was still ringing in my head, I was surprised to learn such a fact. I had no clue if I felt the same for her and I was too stressed to figure it out right now. I'd have six months in Kuwait plus the time we'd be in the US afterward; I'm sure I could come up with an answer by then.

I had my bags packs. I had one below the plane in cargo and would be carrying my backpack with me. My shoulder bag held my electronics and a spare set of clothes and personal hygiene items since we would be spending the night in Copenhagen and leaving for Vienna from there tomorrow morning at 6 am. After getting through airport security, we got taken outside to catch our plane. It would be a small one, enough to hold up to forty people plus the pilots and two flight attendants. All families were allowed down with us but had to stay at a certain point. The whole gang was here to see us off. My parents and brother, Addilyn, Regina, TJ and Frankie too. Syrus was here, but of course, he'd be leaving with us.

"You best call and write, Harrison," Viviana reminded.

I chuckled a little, "Mom, I'll do my best okay? I'm pretty sure we're not just going to be sitting around with nothing to do for the next six months," I told her.

"Viv, leave the boy be. He'll keep in contact as much as he can," Spencer sighed. "Do be safe, son," he added.

"Again, I'll do my best. It is one of the heavier war zones," I informed. At the moment, I was eating a granola bar since I wouldn't get to eat again until we landed at the next airport. From what I understood by Lieutenant Belmore since it was an overnight layover in Copenhagen, we would be spending the night in a hotel that was already reserved for us to stay. The only thing that sucked was that we were sleeping four to a room and had to share a bed with our battle buddy. Didn't seem like such a bad thing but while girls didn't mind sleeping with their friends, males did. Oh well, I could deal with it for one night.

"Alright soldiers, we're gonna start boar-" Glenn began, but everyone was still talking and not paying attention to him. The male huffed as he walked over to me now. "Lad, would you do the thing for me please, the one that makes them be quiet?" he asked.

"If I get a sore throat out of this, I'm blaming you," I replied as I faced the others, then cupped my hands over my mouth and let out a loud roar that sounded like Toothless's. After I had done it, the area fell quiet except for the engines of the planes around us.

"Thank you," Glenn smiled as I coughed twice then got a drink from my water bottle. It was the call of a Night Fury, something I learned outside of training for if Toothless and I ever got separated and needed to find one another. "Now, as I was saying. We are going to start boarding early, time to start your goodbyes," he added.

A profound sadness fell over the group of families and friends who had come to see their soldiers off. There were hugs, kisses, and prayers for a safe flight there and coming home soon. I hugged my mother first, and as I expected, she began crying too. After her, it was my dad, and then Nathaniel. I moved to my friends, shaking hands with Frankie and TJ, then hugs for Regina and Addilyn.

"See you soon for your leave time?" Addy asked after I pulled out of the hug with her, she had kissed my cheek again.

"Yeah, I'll let you know when I'm getting it. Won't be for at least three months, though," I replied.

"That's fine; we'll still have Skype and phone calls until then," Nate smiled broadly. I nodded to him and then stepped back with Dexter who just finished his goodbye to Hailey, the poor thing was trying not to cry. I could see that Addy was holding firm, for now.

"Let's get going," Dexter said to me.

"If we're lucky, we'll find seats together. Trev, Sy, come on!" I called to Trevor and Syrus. "GIRLS!" I yelled when I didn't see Olivia or Chelsea in line with us. A minute later, the two of them rushed to stand with us. I looked back at my family and friends, I smiled and gave a wave of my hand before climbing the stairs of the aircraft and disappearing from their view past the door. The seats on the plane were three on each side all the way back. I grabbed a window spot on the left and was able to see my group and Hailey again, I smiled to them and sat back after putting my bag between my legs on the floor.

It was 1:50 pm when everyone was on the plane and seated with their friends. I had just Trevor in my row, then behind us was Syrus and Dexter. Across us on the right side was Olivia and Chelsea, then in front of them, Samantha and Ella. By 2 pm as planned, the aircraft was moving down the runway and took to the air. I closed my eyes now and relaxed. Two hours and ten minutes of this before we landed in Copenhagen. As soon as the pilots said we could turn on electronics, I got out my phone and switched it to airplane mode before popping in my headphones and listening to my music. I might as well try and get some sleep as I didn't get much last night.

 **[Copenhagen, Denmark-CPH Airport-4:15 pm]**

We arrived just a bit behind schedule into CPH, and I only woke up because Trevor shook me awake so I could put my seatbelt back on for landing. I paused my music and turned the phone off as I relaxed and we landed safely.

"Alright soldiers, listen up!" Glenn called for our attention, and we looked at him. "Grab yer carry-ons and file off in an orderly fashion! We gotta get through the airport; then there will be a shuttle to take us to the hotel for the night," he informed.

"What happens when we get to the hotel?" someone asked tiredly with a yawn.

"Don't you worry, I took care of everything. I'll explain more when we get there," Glenn assured, and everyone nodded beginning to stand up and move off the plane. I was ready to get a bite to eat, then a hot shower, and some sleep for the night. Trying to stay together while we struggled through the masses of people was not an easy task, but we managed. As Glenn had stated, there was a small shuttle bus to take us to the hotel nearest the airport since we had to leave early tomorrow morning.

 **[Draco Grand Hotel; 4:45 pm]**

Reaching our destination, Glenn checked us in for four to a room, and we'd be sharing beds with our battle buddy. After all that got settled, Glenn led us to the hallway with the chambers we'd be staying in, thankfully, he got us on the main level so it would be easier to leave in the morning for the flight at 6 am. According to Glenn, we would be leaving the hotel at 5 am to get to the airport for 5:10, then get squared away for the trip which was to Vienna.

"Alright. Girls on the right, boys on the left. I'll be staying here in room 104 with Darrel and Jaylen if anyone needs me. Get yourselves settled in and you can order one meal each off the dinner menu and charge it to the room. The military is paying for it since they couldn't get us a better flight," Glenn enlightened.

"Thanks, Lieutenant," we replied. Glenn nodded as he walked away with Darrel and Jaylen, two of the males from our platoon. See, since we had twenty-eight of us; two from the girls and boys were only two to a room. Since Gobber was male, it was easier for him to bunk with them for the night. I moved with Trevor, Syrus, and Dexter to our room; 110 and entered it. It was a decent place too. Two queen-sized beds, three nightstands, one dresser with a large flat screen television, and even a desk by the sliding doors that led out to the main area where the pool and hot tub was. Oh! And there was a bathroom with a toilet, shower/tub combination, and sink to use.

"Alright, Harrison and I call bed by the window!" Trevor announced first as he tossed his bag onto the bed with a laugh.

"Jerk!" Syrus called back as he and Dexter got their bags off their shoulders and put them on their bed now. I moved towards the window and looked out; it was such a beautiful sight even though it was all artificial plants and lighting.

"Don't bother unpacking, guys. There's no point," I told Dexter and Trevor. "Just grab your sleepwear,"

"He's got a point," Syrus added in. Why bother with it? This was only for the night, and we were going to be too rushed tomorrow morning to check and make sure we didn't forget anything.

"Well, let's all take a look at the menu, order our food, then while we wait for that we can use the bathroom and get in quick showers," Dexter suggested. All in agreement about Dexter's idea, they grabbed the menu off the dresser where the TV guide was and began looking over it.

"I think we should just do grinders or wraps," Trevor mentioned. "They got a bunch to choose from,"

"Well, order me a turkey with provolone grinder on Italian herb and cheese bread. No mayo or tomato. Uh, Sunkist for the drink," Syrus said as he was first to grab his sleep pants and rush into the bathroom for his shower.

"I'll do pepperoni, ham, and salami grinder, swiss cheese, on white with Bargs Rootbeer," Trevor stated.

"Roast beef wrap with swiss. No mustard with Coke," Dexter informed.

I was the unfortunate soul writing it all down because I'd get stuck placing the order. For me, I was getting a steak and cheese grinder with American cheese on wheat bread. Lettuce and cucumbers for the vegetables, then ranch and sweet onion sauce. Yeah, it was a weird combination, but I loved how the flavors mixed. Also, I was getting a Gingerale for my drink. Trevor and Dexter were flipping through the channels as I called room service and placed the food order. Syrus came out of the bathroom ten minutes after he entered, Trevor went next, then Dexter. By then, our food had arrived, so I decided to hit the shower after eating.

The time reached 9:30 pm, and we decided to get some sleep as we had to be up at 4:30 am to leave for 5, to reach the airport for 5:30 then catch the 6:15 am plane to Vienna. I had called home after my shower; everyone was glad I was safe and going okay so far. The four of us got into our beds after plugging in phones or other electronic devices we'd want for the flights tomorrow. I was knocked out by 9:45 pm, I suspected that tomorrow's traveling would take a lot out of us.

 **[Camp Arifjan, Kuwait-7:15 pm]**

What a friggin day! I couldn't believe how ready I was just to lay down and go to sleep. So, we've finally reached Kuwait and were inside the Camp Arifjan base. It was 5:15 pm back in Berkville, I would call my family or at least text them once I got settled. As tired as I was, I wouldn't go to sleep yet, so I didn't wake up at 4 am and lie awake for hours. Getting off the bus from the airport, all of us were on guard for anything to happened. Why? Because this was a whole new experience for us to get used to.

"Hey there! Welcome to Arifjan. I'm Colonel Thomas Dunbar," the man greeted with a smile.

Glenn stepped forward, shaking the man's hand. "Glenn Belmore, leader of this platoon," Glenn introduced.

"Wind Rider right?" Thomas asked, and Glenn nodded to him.

"Major Hagebak said you'd be coming in tonight; he's here too. Flew ahead on a connector flight out of Vienna while you were in Cairo," Thomas informed as Glenn, and the rest of us blinked. Was Aaron here too? "Said something about wanting to be with his dragons pals?"

"Ah, makes sense. Wind Rider Platoon is the only group that has so many dragons in it. Twelve of the soldiers have bonded dragons; Aaron and I do too so fourteen total," Glenn stated understanding now.

"Yes, he mentioned that. Well, I'm sure you'd all like to settle into your new homes for the next six months. This here is Zone Two-Housing," Thomas motioned with his hand. "We've got you set up in the barracks with who'll you be working with," he smiled and led them to the building. "Here it is. You get the second level and can use the stairs here, on the left side to gain access. Your dragons will remain down on the ground floor and in their makeshift stables. It's the best we could do on short notice," the man admitted.

"It's fine, Colonel Dunbar," came Aaron's voice as he was coming down the stairs.

"I'll leave you to brief them, Major Hagebak," Thomas said as he walked away with a smile.

"Your orders, for now, are just to grab a room with your battle buddy and get unpacked. I'll give you more over a late dinner," Aaron informed.

"Yes, Major Hagebak," we replied to him.

"Belmore, you're rooming with me," Aaron told Glenn, who nodded understandingly. Without much argument, we all made our way to the second floor and into the hallway where our rooms would be. Aaron came up behind us. "I don't care who sleeps where as long as it's not co-ed," he enlightened.

"Well, might as well stick to what we had in the US. Sy, Dex, take next to Trev and I. Liv and Chels take next to or across from. Your call," I stated. Everyone made their choice quickly. Trever and I took the right side of the barrack chambers. Our window lets us see our dragons, and that's why I wanted us where I picked. Trevor and I entered our new room and looked around. It needed some work, but we could handle it. I could worry about it later, right now, we just had to unpack as Major Hagebak told us to.

Unpacking took all of twenty minutes to do, then we made our beds and sat down to relax. I laid on my bed staring up at the ceiling. The time was 7:45 pm, and I assumed the night wasn't even half over for us yet. It didn't matter; this is where we'd be for the next six months. A new life at Arifjan.


	14. Whole New Ballgame

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; HarrisonXAddilyn_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! Also, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character; Ella(Eira) Solveig. She belongs to my good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

14) Whole New Ballgame

 **[Arifjan; Monday, April 13, 2015-7 am]**

The night had been long, none of the Wind Rider Platoon soldiers got to go to sleep until almost 10:30 pm after all was said and done. After unpacking their belongings, they followed Aaron and Glenn to Zone One's mess hall to eat a late dinner and be briefed by Aaron about how things would work at the camp. It wasn't a lot of information to take in, but the group understood that they had to be informed. When the soldiers left dinner, twelve of them went to see their dragons for a bit, then turned into their beds to get some sleep. For the time being, Aaron let them know they wouldn't be doing any missions for the first two weeks to make sure they were adjusted well and ready to work without distractions.

Harrison was just waking up now at 7 am. Was it bad that all he wanted to do was get a shower, some breakfast, then take a flight on Toothless? Harrison felt like it had been forever since he and his best friend flew together.

"Hey, there ya are," Trevor smiled from his desk. Harrison sat up in his bed and looked around; it took him a minute to remember he was in Kuwait.

"Sorry, guess I was more tired than I thought," Harrison admitted with a smile as he stood up.

"Well, the others are up and have been since 5:30 am, you're the last of us," Trevor chuckled.

"Go figure," Harrison stretched. "So what the hell are we gonna do for two weeks?" he asked.

"Think Hagebak said something about getting used to the camp, knowing our way around?" Trevor replied.

"Seems like something he would say, but not sure that two weeks was necessary," Harrison chuckled. After taking some time to wake up a little, Harrison grabbed his shower items and left for the bathrooms, but not before stopping to see Toothless first.

 **[7:20 am-Zone One]**

Harrison felt a lot better after his shower and then joined his comrades in the MWR, a place to relax and get something to eat. Harrison sat down near his friends with a small tray of food.

"Morning, Harrison," the members of Fury Fire greeted him.

"Hey, guys and girls," Harrison smiled.

"So, what will all of you being today?" Aaron inquired as he walked by the table now.

"What are we allowed to do?" Syrus wondered.

"Well, I find it be best you get to learn the zones you'll be in most often, maybe make a few friends with the company you're gonna be working with," Aaron suggested.

"Can we go flying?" Harrison decided to ask calmly.

"I suppose ya can, but don't fly outside of the camp walls," Glenn shrugged as he walked beside Aaron. Harrison nodded, that's all he needed to know. Harrison began to eat his food calmly and planned to take Toothless for a flight as soon as breakfast was over.

 **[8:15 am-Stables]**

Harrison hurried to the stable after the morning meal; he couldn't wait to go flying! Harrison grabbed Toothless's saddle off its stand and got it positioned and strapped onto Toothless, then led him out. Unfortunately, Harrison had to wear his uniform, but that was okay.

"Wow, so it is true," someone said as Harrison turned and saw a small group of the Americans walking towards him and Toothless

"You do have a Night Fury!" a female stated with a broad smile.

"Um, yeah, I do. You came out to see for yourself?" Harrison asked.

"There's a Skrill in your group too, right?" inquired a male.

"One Night Fury, one Skrill, three Deadly Nadders, two Gronckles, one Hotburple, two Razorwhips, two Monstrous Nightmares, and two Changewings," Harrison replied to the group of five.

"They're so cool. I wish we could have dragons," said a girl with platinum blond hair and what appeared to be violet eyes. Harrison read up that it was a rare trait, but they were beautiful.

"Well, who knows. Bonding to a dragon can happen whenever. Sometimes, they pick who to bond to," Harrison shrugged as Toothless warbled and nudged Harrison's arm. "Alright, settle down you. I know you're itching to fly, bud,"

"Awe, we were hoping you could tell us more about dragons?" repeated the platinum blond.

"I, uh, don't think I'm authorized to tell you a lot about them. Though, my platoon and I did come here after training the trainers at Fort Benning in the basics of Dragon Training," Harrison shrugged a little.

"So, can't you teach us?" asked one of the males.

"I'm not sure. Uh, look, I gotta take Toothless to stretch his wings. "How about you go check with your CO, and if they allow it, then I don't mind telling you more," Harrison informed.

"Okay! Have a safe flight," they said. Harrison threw his leg over Toothless's saddle and held the bars.

"Come on, Toothless! Show me what you got today!" Harrison grinned as Toothless roared out and shot into the sky with an upward twirl and the two flew around, moving together in perfect harmony.

 **[5 pm-Barrack]**

After an hour a flying after breakfast, Harrison landed Toothless back in near the stable and promised they would go flying again before it got dark. On the flight, Harrison got a great sky view of Camp Arifjan, and he was able to see all the zones and everyone hard at work. Harrison was rather excited to start working, but it sucked that he had to wait the two weeks. On the ride also, Harrison wondered if those soldiers he talked to would ask their commanding officer about the dragon thing. It would give him something to do if nothing else.

Harrison used the time after the flight with Toothless to spruce up his and Trevor's barrack room. As it was setup upon arriving was not a spacious arrangement so after getting permission, Harrison and Trevor went at fixing up their place to get the most out of it without being cluttered. Walking in the door, someone would be able to see the refrigerator and microwave on their right against the first wall. The TV sat on top of the fridge but not high up. Continuing around was Harrison's metal closet, nightstand, then bed. The window wall had both Trevor's and Harrison's small desks. Then on the left where the door rested after opening was Trevor's closet, bed, and nightstand.

Yeah, it worked well now and gave both of them ample space to enjoy. Harrison didn't know how the others arranged their rooms, but this was perfect for Trevor and him. The rest of the time was organizing their computers, books, notebooks, clothes, and other accessories. However, now the time was 5 pm, and Harrison wondered if he should call home to say hi to everyone since he hadn't talked to them since Cairo yesterday and Harrison was sure they were worried about him. Trevor and the others were out with the dragons, so Harrison had some quiet time to make the call through Skype since he had internet access.

Giving it a moment to load, Harrison was greeted by his little brother first.

 _"Harry!"_ Nate exclaimed. Harrison was able to see his mother and father too, all smiling and happy to hear from him.

"Hey, Nate. Hi, Mom and Dad!" Harrison answered.

 _"We're so glad you called, Harrison,"_ Viviana sighed in relief.

"Yeah, sorry about yesterday. I meant to call when we landed in Kuwait, but everything just happened so fast with boarding the bus and getting to camp, then unpacking and dinner, briefing. You get the picture. I've been busy all day, but I have time now before dinner, so I figured I'd say hi," Harrison explained.

 _"How are you settling in there?"_ Spencer inquired curiously.

"Doing good. Trevor and I just finished our room. It's small but works for two people," Harrison told them.

 _"Happy to hear it, son. How's the weather?"_ Viviana wondered.

"Eh, not too bad right now but we've been told it gets worse May through September. Worst being June-July time," Harrison replied.

 _"Maybe you'll get your time off around then and won't have to suffer so much of it,"_ Nate laughed a little.

"Perhaps. How are things back home?" Harrison pondered.

 _"Not the same without you, big brother,"_ Nate smiled.

"Aw, don't worry. I'll be home before you know it, this is only six months," Harrison stated with a calm smile.

 _"Well, you do still have to return to the US, Harrison,"_ Viviana reminded.

"I don't think we'll be there that long. I'll keep you posted about it as I learn more, Mom, I promise," Harrison informed.

 _"Good boy,"_ Vivian sighed in relief at Harrison's answer. _"So, show us where you're staying,"_ she beamed. Harrison laughed some and nodded as he got up and left the room, going outside to start there because it was easier.

"Alright well, this is our barrack. Wind Rider Platoon stays on the second floor. Uh, over here are the makeshift stables for the dragons. Toothless is at the end. Say hi, bud," Harrison instructed as Toothless gave a somewhat audible 'Hello' that came out as 'Herro.' Harrison smiled and moved the phone over to the bathrooms. "Those are the restrooms and showers, 'bout an eight-minute walk from the barrack,"

 _"No co-ed, right?"_ Spencer inquired.

"Of course, Dad. The girls have their side of it," Harrison nodded and kept walking up the stairs to the second level and entered the long hallway. "So, this is Wind Rider level as we call it. Trevor and I stay in this room on the right. Syrus and Dexter next to us and then Liv and Chels beside their room. I think Sammy and Ella are after them. Not sure. But Trev and I are here, and this is what it looks like after we arranged it," Harrison turned the camera to show everything, then he let it face him again.

 _"It looks suitable, son,"_ Viviana nodder her head approvingly. _"Have you gotten to fly Toothless at all?"_

"Oh, yeah. For an hour this morning, we're gonna go again before it gets dark too," Harrison enlightened.

 _"Have you done any missions?"_ Nate wondered.

"Not yet. Aaron wants us to get used to everything first before sending us out so; I guess our mission is to make friends with the Americans who share the barrack we're in and learn how things work around here. Simple enough, but if we do good then we can do missions in two weeks," Harrison stated.

 _"Ah, that's good then. Best be careful, Harrison,"_ Viviana reminded. Harrison knew she was worried about him getting hurt, but unfortunately, it was a risk of being in a war zone.

"You know I can't make that promise, but know I'm safe for at least tw-" Harrison stopped quickly when Glenn and Aaron burst into the room, they looked like they'd been running. "Major Hagebak? Lieutenant Belmore?" Harrison asked. "What's going on?"

"Grab your dragon, we got work to do," Aaron ordered.

"Gotta go, guys. Call you later on or tomorrow. Love you," Harrison ended the call and tossed his phone onto his bed while grabbing his ACU coat, vest, headgear, and rifle which had been leaning against the wall by the head of his bed. "Explanation would be nice," Harrison remarked while following them out and rushing down the stairs.

Glenn pointed to the significant wave of enemies and dragons nearing the base border and the Americans getting ready to fight. "How's that for explaining?" he panted.

"Still doesn't tell me what you want me and Toothless to do, Lieutenant?" Harrison fought the urge to roll his eyes. Thomas rushed over now.

"Oh, good. You found him," Thomas stated.

"Will someone tell me what I'm doing please?!" Harrison demanded now, becoming frustrated.

"We can handle the humans, but not those dragons. There's a guy on their side who knows how to make them do as he says, we can't fight that," Thomas said quickly.

"What he's asking is if you know any way to wrangle them or take control, lad?" Aaron asked now.

"Why are you asking me?!" Harrison questioned.

"Harrison, can you and Toothless do it or not?" Glenn said in a calmer tone.

"I-I wouldn't know unless we tried and you would have to keep your soldiers back, Colonel Dunbar. I don't want them getting caught in any of Toothless blasts," Harrison remarked.

"Done. I'll pull them back and let me know when to send them back in to keep back the enemies," Thomas nodded, "Use channel one on your helmet radio. Connect you to me directly,"

"Got it," Harrison confirmed. "Toothless!" he called as his Night Fury jumped out of the stable, saddle still in place as Harrison jumped on his back and held the handle bars after securing the strap on his helmet.

"Be careful and if you can't do it, come back immediately," Aaron ordered. Harrison nodded to him as Toothless launched into the sky and headed over everyone's head. Harrison looked at all the dragons while hovering slightly; there had to be at least seventy of them.

"Alright, Toothless. Help me out here, how do we handle this?" Harrison asked his draconic friend. Toothless dropped his fangs and growled, eyes averting to all the dragons, then he gave a little rumble, and Harrison understood. "Ready whenever you are," Toothless nodded as both of them took in a deep breath, Harrison brought his hands over his mouth.

"What's he doing?" Syrus wondered. Finally, a loud roar emitted from Toothless and Harrison. The area seemed to fall almost silent as the sound resonated out. Afterward, Toothless shot three blasts into the sky across the line of dragons. None ever made contact, but it was enough to stop the dragons from moving any closer. As such, the enemies became hesitant too, not understanding what was going on. Toothless hovered lower to the ground and landed in a pounce with a menacing snarl, it sounded like a warning almost.

However, a Titanwing Deadly Nadder got bold and flung a set of spines at Harrison, and one whipped by his side and cut him open pretty deep. Harrison gasped out and held his side, seeing the blood after he pulled his hand away. Before anyone could react, Toothless gave a deadly snarl this time and suddenly took on a blue glow. The light went down his back spines, which were split apart all down the tail. The light also emits from Toothless's nostrils and throat, along with his sides too. The other dragons halted and stopped completely, turning their heads away from Toothless and bowing their heads. Toothless roared loudly as the dragons turned around and fired a line of blasts at the enemy forces who quickly ran away to evade being attacked by dragons that had been on their side.

Toothless heard Harrison cringe in pain as the blue light faded and Toothless whipped around and landed near Wind Rider, Aaron, and Glenn.

"I don't know what just happened, but it was the most amazing thing I've ever seen!" Thomas exclaimed. "What was that?!"

"I-I don't...kn-know. Never knew...he could...d-do that," Harrison panted.

"Harrison, are you alright?" Olivia asked as she moved beside Harrison when he got off Toothless slowly, still holding his side. Harrison moved his arm away as the bleeding was still coming heavy. Toothless saw Harrison stumble in moving so he crooned with concern and braced Harrison so he wouldn't fall. "You're hurt!" Olivia whimpered.

"Alright, lad, come on. Let's get you to Medical. We can talk more afterward," Aaron said as Harrison nodded and let Trevor and Syrus help him into the ambulance that Thomas had called for then Trevor sat down inside and went with them as it drove off.

"Not sure what happened but I know that with you soldiers and your dragons here with us, it will change everything," Thomas stated to Aaron and Glenn. No one else could do anything except clean up what little mess there was and keep guard. Wind Rider took care of the dragons who had stayed behind instead of flying off. During dinner at 6 pm, all anyone of Wind Rider Platoon could do was wonder if Harrison was alright and wait for news on him. What a great first day? However, it was a whole new ballgame now that Toothless had the ability to command others.


	15. New Friends

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; HarrisonXAddilyn_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! Also, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character; Ella(Eira) Solveig. She belongs to my good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

15) New Friends

 _{Harrison's POV}_

 **[Camp Arifjan-Zone One-Medical Building-8:50 pm]**

My head was throbbing, and there was an ungodly pain in my right side. My ears felt blocked, and I heard muffled voices around me but couldn't make them out. Everything was dark, and truthfully, it was beginning to scare me as to what was going on. I didn't remember anything past taking Toothless into the sky to stop those dragons from attacking Camp Fury. I mean, it was there but all blurred at the moment.

"Hey, look! He's waking up finally," Okay, that time I made out Trevor's voice for sure. "Harrison?" he asked, and I groaned at the noise, then tried to force my eyes to open.

"Haddock?" that one was Aaron's voice. Where in the name of hell was I? At last, I managed to get my eyes to start blinking and focusing in on the faces around me. I saw Aaron and Glenn on my left, then Trevor on my right.

"Thank Odin that you're awake," Glenn smiled at me.

"Uh, what do you mean? Wasn't I just with Toothless taking on the mass of dragons?" I inquired.

"You don't remember getting injured?" Trevor wondered curiously. My eyes widened a bit as I looked to my right side and saw myself wearing no shirt but my midsection was padded and wrapped tightly. Had I gotten hurt? Trevor said so. Why couldn't I remember what happened to me?

"Don't push him to remember, Private Vollan. The lad has only just woken up after being out for three hours," Glenn stated. Three hours?! I've been unconscious for three hours?! Now I had to know what happened. I closed my eyes tightly, trying to think back to when I was with Toothless.

"Harrison, it's okay. Calm down, you'll remember with time," Aaron instructed, but I had to know. I saw the blurred memories, and as I focused more, they became apparent enough for me to piece the situation together like a puzzle. I was flying Toothless, we stopped the dragons but a Titanwing Deadly Nadder attacked, and I got hit by one and felt pain. Toothless started glowing blue, and the dragons bowed to him, I had no idea what that was all about, but I intended to find out after all this. I remember landing and then Olivia asking if I was alright, she noticed I was hurt, and the last thing I recall is being taken by ambulance with Trevor in the back too.

I opened my eyes and looked at my side now. So I was shot with Nadder spine? I suppose I would live. It grazed me, but still deep enough to need this dressing on it. "Are ya alright, Harrison?" Glenn inquired.

"Yeah, I'm okay, Lieutenant. And yes, Trev, I remember what happened. Word of advice; don't get hit with a Nadder spine," I informed with a light chuckle.

"Crazy ass. You should have come back down immediately," Trevor scolded.

"Hey, after I got hit, Toothless took over on his agenda. You can't penalize me for that one," I retorted.

"Lad has a point there, Vollan," Aaron sighed. "Any pain, Haddock?"

"Yeah, but manageable," I nodded to him. I saw the nurse come over and start checking vitals and smiling softly.

"Think you can manage to take it easy the next week or so for that to heal, Mr. Haddock?" the nurse questioned after tucking the clipboard under her left arm.

"Yes, ma'am," I nodded to her firmly.

"Good then. I'll get you some pain killers, no more than two per day and make sure to visit the TMC _(Troop Medical Center)_ to get the dressing reapplied after showers, Understand?" the nurse ordered.

"Perfectly," I replied. "Wait, which pain killers?" he asked.

"Vicodin," she said turning to face him.

"I can't take them. It should be in my file that I'm allergic to them, my throat will close up within two minutes of taking a Vicodin," I informed calmly.

"Huh," the nurse stated as she flipped through the file and shook her head. "No, it's not in here. I don't suppose you can have a parent confirm that, can you? It's just a precautionary measure that some soldiers have used to get a stronger pain medication due to underlying addictions to them," the nurse wondered.

"What time is it right now?" I asked.

Trevor glanced at his watch. "9:15 pm,"

"It's 7 pm back in Berkville. Can I borrow your phone, Trev? Mine is still in the barrack from before the attack," I questioned.

"Mine is in the stables actually. I didn't take it while flying and when we came back, it was the attack," Trevor replied. Glenn pulled his out and handed it to me.

"Here, use mine, laddie," Glenn said.

"Thank you, sir," I smiled and then dialed my parent's landline number. I heard the first ring and then put it on speakerphone knowing that the nurse wanted to see that the number I dialed was the number listed in my file. After five rings, it went to the answering machine, and I knew why too; my parents didn't answer calls from numbers they didn't know. I sighed heavily. "Hey! One of you pick up the phone; it's your son calling from overseas from his Lieutenant's phone. Well, Nate, if you're listening; it's your older brother,"

Not more than a second later, it picked up, and I shook my head with a smile. _"Harry!"_ Nate exclaimed excitedly.

"Hey, lil bro. What are you up to?" I asked.

 _"Hiding the phone from Mom and Dad so I can talk to you,"_ Nate giggled.

 _"Nathaniel Haddock, you unlock this door, or I swear it's coming off the hinges!"_ I heard my father warn.

 _"But I wanna talk to Harrison! You two got him when he called three hours ago!"_ Nate complained.

"Nate, I actually need Mom or Dad right now, please? I promise that when I get back to the barrack, I'll call again and talk to you, okay?" I asked him softly.

 _"Alright,"_ Nate muttered before unlocking his door. _"When he calls back, I get to talk to him because he promised me,"_ he huffed and handed off the phone. I heard a sigh from my father.

 _"Hi, son. Wasn't expecting you to call from a different number,"_ Spencer informed.

"Yeah, I know. It's Lieutenant Belmore's phone; mine is in the barrack still from our last conversation. So, short version of what happened. I got hit with a Nadder spike, nothing bad and will be good in a week. However, the nurse needs to hear from you or Mom that I'm allergic to Vicodin to make sure I'm not a pain killer addict," I explained as I saw Trevor, Aaron, and Glenn arch a brow and I mouthed 'don't ask.'

 _"Oh! Yes, Harrison is deathly allergic to Vicodin,"_ Spencer stated softly.

"Thank you," the nurse smiled and went to get the Percocet's for me to use while I recovered.

 _"Do I get the extended version of the story?"_ Spencer asked.

"After I get back to the barrack and call again, but Nate gets to talk first. I promised him," I reminded.

 _"Harrison Haddock, you have only been there just over twenty-four hours, and you're already wounded. Not entirely sure that I like this arrangement anymore,"_ came my mother's worried and firm voice. And here we go.

"Mom, I'm okay. It was a freak accident with one of the dragons, don't worry so much. We'll talk more after, alright? I gotta give my Lieutenant his phone back," I replied.

 _"I demand to know everything when you call back,"_ Viviana ordered.

"After I talk to Nate. Just gimme fifteen minutes with my little brother, then I'll talk to both of you," I said.

 _"Very well. Speak to you soon, son. I love you,"_ Viviana stated.

"Love you too, Mom. You as well, Dad and Nate," I answered before hanging up and returning the phone to Glenn. "Sorry," I mumbled.

"Eh, don't worry about it, laddie. All parents worry about their youngins out 'ere," Aaron chuckled. "Should have seen my Mom when I joined at nineteen after High School," he added.

"I can imagine," I replied to him. The nurse returned with a bottle containing ten pills, then another with five big white pills and handed both to me.

"Little ones are Percocets; the others are 800 mg Ibuprofen. I suggest the Percs at breakfast and bedtime, use the other one for midday," the nurse informed.

"Got it," I nodded to her as she unhooked the IV from my right hand and I sat up slowly, getting help from Trevor in standing afterward.

"Easy now, Haddock," Glenn reminded. Once supported with Trevor as a brace to keep me balanced, we started moving to exit the medical building. Aaron had a four-seater jeep waiting outside, thank the Gods too because I didn't want to walk all the way back to Zone Two. After I had talked to my parents and brother, I planned on getting more sleep. Tonight would be an early one for me.

 **[Second Level of Barrack-10:30 pm]**

The first place we stopped was the restrooms, and then we reached the barrack at 9:35 pm. As I expected, I was met by the platoon and getting asked if I was okay. Aaron kept them back, and Glenn explained that I would be alright as long as I took it easy for a few days. I let Toothless know I was okay, then we started for the stairs and moved up them slowly until reaching the room Trevor and me shared. I called my house and talked to them until 10:15 pm when I admitted to needing some sleep; I said goodnight to them and then put the phone on the charger before laying down and knocking out right away.

 **[One Week Later; Monday, April 20, 2015]**

FINALLY! I was cleared to be fully recovered from the spineshot I took to my right side; it healed nicely too, hardly a scar. In one more week, hopefully, the Wind Rider Infantry men and women would be getting to start doing guards or missions. I couldn't wait to go flying on Toothless again; it was going to be the first thing I did after eating breakfast this morning. The number one order I had upon waking up and grabbing a shower was to visit the TMC and get the wound checked out. It was closed and only left a small scar, but I had the paperwork to give to Aaron that said I could resume regular duty again.

 **[8:15 am]**

Arriving at breakfast for 7:30 am, I gave Aaron the paper, and he nodded approvingly. After that, I got my food and talked it up with my friends just like any other morning had been thus far at Arifjan. When breakfast Just as I was about to rush out towards the stables, I got stopped by a tall figure standing in my path to the door. Looking up a little, I saw it be Colonel Dunbar. I came to a quick halt and saluted him respectfully.

"Good morning, Private Haddock," the colonel greeted with a smile.

"Morning to you as well, Colonel Dunbar," I responded.

"So, a week ago, I had a request submitted to my desk about the soldiers here who were interested that is, to learn about dragons. Apparently, you were the one to tell them they needed permission from their CO first. Thank you for that, I much appreciate that you'd ask before doing. I thought I'd let you know that it's fine with me for you to inform them about dragons. My only condition is that it doesn't interfere with standard work orders," Thomas said.

"Of course, sir. I teach them on personal time, not work," I replied to him.

"Very good then. I leave it in your capable hands," Thomas patted my shoulder before walking away. Great, so now it was Fort Benning all over again with Basic Dragon Knowledge. I assumed that the Colonel didn't want me teaching them about training, just basics. I could do that, and I'm sure my platoon would help too. I could worry about it later. First, my flight with Toothless! I raced outside and put my fingers on the corners of my mouth only to be stopped again by the soldiers from last time who were curious.

"Whatcha doing?" asked a girl with green eyes and medium brown hair.

"Getting ready for a flight," I said.

"Where's your dragon?" inquired a male who had an almost entirely shaved head and somewhat green eyes.

"I was just about to call him," I stated with a sigh.

"So, we got permission to learn about dragons, can this be lesson one?" asked the female with violet eyes, she had the happiest smile on her face. I didn't know what it was, but every time I saw her, my stomach fluttered with a little joy. An odd, but pleasant feeling nevertheless.

"Well, it doesn't exactly...start that way. Um, how about this? Let me get my flight in, and if no one has any work to do, you can meet me back here, and I'll start teaching you," I offered.

"Works for me!" the female giggled. I nodded and raised my fingers once more and then blew hard giving off a loud whistle. Within five minutes, Toothless landed beside me and handed over his saddle from his mouth.

"Ew. Toothless, you know this doesn't wash out," I muttered as Toothless gave a throaty chuckle. I shrugged and wiped the dragon saliva off the best I could, positioned the saddle on my friend, then hopped on, and we took to the sky at top speed. Gods, it felt amazing to be back in the saddle and soaring through the air once more. Nothing could beat this feeling.

 **[An Hour & Fifteen Minutes Later-9:30 am-Zone One]**

When I returned to the place I had left, the three soldiers were still there and waiting for me. I got off Toothless and sent him back to the stables to rest up, then shot Trevor a text to get Toothless a few fish for me since I was stuck training Americans about dragons in basic knowledge, again! He said, 'no problem,' so I tucked my phone away and led the two girls and one male inside the building, and we found a quiet place for the teachings. I realized something like this could happen while I was here, yet, I wasn't prepared to be spending my off time doing it all.

"Well, I think before we start we should introduce ourselves," I began. "I'm Private First Class Harrison Haddock, nineteen-years-old and member of the Wind Rider Platoon for the Arc Isle Army,"

"Private First Class Andy Kingston, twenty-years-old and member of the US Army," the man, Andy introduced.

"Private Skye Ostberg, nineteen, and a Combat Medic for the US Army," the girl with green eyes and medium brown eyes smiled.

"Private First Class Briana Grayson, nineteen and Infantry for United States Army. I hope that we can be friends for our time together, Harrison," Briana Grayson-the girl with platinum blond hair and violet eyes-said with a gentle smile to me.

"I think we're going to make great friends," I said with a nod. Well, I might be stuck teaching them about dragons, but at least it was a small group, and I had made some new friends.


	16. Flight To Their Feelings

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; HarrisonXAddilyn_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! Also, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character; Ella(Eira) Solveig. She belongs to my good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

16) Flight To Their Feelings

 _{Normal POV}_

 **[Friday, August 7, 2015]**

Harrison and the rest of the Wind Rider Platoon had been in Kuwait for three and half months; it was now the beginning of August 2015. Harrison couldn't believe so much time had passed since they had arrived here in April. In October they would get to leave Kuwait, but not go home as they had to return to the US again for reasons still unknown. Harrison was spending all his free time either teaching the Americans basic dragon knowledge, sleeping, relaxing, or calling home. Harrison ended up missing the graduation of his friends Addilyn, Frankie, Regina, and TJ from High School.

Harrison did call each on Skype and congratulate them for finishing High School, Syrus had joined him for that call too. Harrison knew Addilyn was extra quiet because she wanted to know if Harrison returned her feelings or not. In truth, Harrison could say with almost 85% certainty that he didn't return Addy's feelings and that was because he felt something for Briana, the friend he made in April when he started teaching her about the dragons. Harrison could say that he liked Briana a lot because she gave him butterflies and her smile made his day. When Harrison thought back to being in Addilyn's presence, he didn't get those feelings with her, so that was all the proof he needed to know that he didn't reciprocate Addy's feelings.

Over that last three months, a lot had happened but nothing tragic except for one person in the platoon getting killed. Cody Hart, twenty-one and had been bonded to a male Gronckle called Crusher. Cody was shot twice in the chest, the second one pierced his heart, and he died within seconds of being hit. Cody's bonded Gronckle sought comfort with Blake Garrett, Cody's battle buddy and those two ended up bonding too. Harrison and Briana were spending a lot of time together, talking like besties almost. Texting, Skyping, taking long walks and enjoying meals together. Trevor, Syrus, and Dexter constantly teased Harrison about his apparent crush on the platinum blond girl with violet eyes, yet, Harrison didn't deny it one bit, but he wasn't making any moves on her because Harrison didn't know if Briana like him the way he liked her.

Also, Harrison was secretly teaching Briana more about the dragons than anyone else learned. Harrison informed Briana on the laws of ownership and training; he even talked about how the bonding process could go if she ever got the chance to do so. Briana admitted that when she got back home, she was going to sign up for the dragon training program to try and bond with a dragon. Harrison hoped she would get to because it was an amazing feeling to have a forever friend who might have been a different species but understood you like no other did. Harrison wanted to go on leave to see his family and friends, but at the same time, he didn't because he wouldn't get to see Bri(Pronounced as 'Bree'), his nickname for her. As Nate did, Briana also called Harrison, Harry.

Tonight, Briana and Harrison were going to enjoy eating dinner together in the mess hall since Harrison had a 4 am to 4 pm guard shift, and Briana did an all night patrol from 6 pm to 4 am last night into the morning. Briana got some sleep while Harrison was on his guard, and Harrison would sleep early tonight, but for the time being over dinner, he was spending his time with Briana.

"So, Harry. I've known you since April, and I don't think I know anything about your life before the army," Briana smiled at him.

"Eh, I'm nothing special," Harrison shrugged casually.

"Oh, come on," Briana shoved him playfully with a laugh.

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours?" Harrison offered.

"Deal. You first," Briana invited.

"Well, I was born February 29th, 1996," Harrison began. "I was a premature baby; my mother had been due to having me in April of '96. I was born at Berkville Memorial Hospital on Arc Isle at 5:20 am on a Thursday. I've lived in Berkville all my life and made good friends in the fifth grade. Uh, Addilyn, Frankie, Regina, TJ, and Syrus even. Regina and TJ are identical twins, and the two of them are a riot to be around,"

"Sounds like it," Briana took a bite of her mashed potatoes.

"My Mom, Viviana, is the principal of the Berkville Academy and Dad, Spencer, is the Chief of Police. My little brother Nathaniel or Nate as he prefers to be called wants to grow up to be like me, but I told him he has plenty of time to decide what he intends to do with his life and not to rush growing up," Harrison chuckled a little.

"He sounds like a cutie," Briana giggled as Harrison got out his phone to show her a picture of Nate, then his parents and friends, pointing out each person by their picture. "They look like a lovely group of people, Harrison," she added.

"I hope you can meet them one day. My folks have already said that if I'm in the US too long, they'll fly out to see me," Harrison laughed, the sad thing was that it was entirely accurate and his parents would do it; especially if he was going to miss Thanksgiving and Christmas. "My younger years were simple if it can be said that way. Just focused on school and playing a sport or two in the summer. Reaching High School, I stuck with Basketball because I love it. I always considered the guy who had everything he could ever want so no one understood why in the name of Thor I would drop out of school, and join the army,"

"I suppose I'm wondering the same thing," Briana inquired with a tilt of her head.

"The easiest answer I can give you is that I want to protect everything I have. You know? I've got great parents, a little brother, awesome friends. I adore my home island and all the people residing there in the city or different towns. Sure, I had it made because my parents make great money, we have a big house, all four of us have dragons. Well, Nate is just taking care of my Terrible Terror, Sharpshot, but you get the idea. Everyone is right, I have a perfect life but what good is it to have all that if it's not safe because of these wars?" Harrison explained.

"I understand, Harrison and that's a wonderful reason to have joined the military. I admire it," Briana admitted. Harrison fought the desire to let a blush creep onto his cheeks after she said that. "I assume you don't ride Toothless everywhere, so do you have another means of transportation?"

"Well, I have my truck," Harrison smiled.

"Ooh, I like trucks! Details?" Briana's face practically lit up with excitement. Harrison couldn't help but laugh a bit at how happy she looked.

"It's a 2014 Chevy Silverado. Lifted, black outside, gray inside. I might have some pictures of it," Harrison informed as he started scrolling through his phone and found some shots of the outside and inside.

"That is a sexy truck, Harrison," Briana giggled.

"Hey, you ever come visit me on Arc Isle, I'll take ya off roading in it," Harrison offered. "Grab some friends, have a bonfire out in the woods. Thinking it'll be a fun time, Country Girl," he winked.

"I'd like that," Briana said, now the two were smiling and staring at one another.

"Um, so what about you? What's your story, Milady?" Harrison asked as Briana arched a brow. "Sorry, that's just...kind'a my thing I say to cute girls I know,"

"You think I'm good looking?" Briana arched became bashful now.

Harrison froze a moment, not sure how to respond. However, as he saw it; this was a chance to flirt. Harrison shook his head. "No, you aren't cute at all," he paused with a soft smile, "I think you're beautiful," Briana's blush grew.

"Well, I believe that you're pretty handsome yourself there, Harrison Haddock," Briana replied after she found her voice. "That's one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me, so thank you for making my day, well, evening now," she added gently.

"You're welcome, Bri. Do I get the pleasure of knowing more about you?" Harrison wondered.

"Oh, I suppose I could tell you a little about boring me," Briana teased.

"I find you fascinating," Harrison urged.

"If you insist," she said, and the two laughed then relaxed a little. "Alright, uh, I was born on April 14th, 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia at 1:47 am on a Friday. I have two younger siblings; Jasmine who just turned thirteen this past March, and then my brother, Alexander, seventeen but turning eighteen in December. My parents are Carter and Mia Grayson. Mom is in the US Marines, the rank of Staff Sergeant and works as Emergency Room Nurse. And Dad is a Drill Sergeant at Fort Jackson. My siblings usually look after one another while Mom and Dad are working," Briana began.

"Must be crazy having both parents and you in the military," Harrison pointed out.

"It was at first, but the military made it, so Mom and Dad never went on deployments at the same time, so they were never worried about having to find sitters for my siblings or me," Briana enlightened.

"Ah, that's good then. So, how was school years for you?" Harrison asked.

"Decent. I maintained a B and C average through Middle and High School. I graduated and then was sworn into the Army on July 7th, 2014. I think I started Basic on August 8th. After AIT had ended November 8th, we learned about the deployment here as our stationing orders. We left December 6th," Briana shrugged a little while finishing her water bottle off.

"I never graduated, hell, I joined the Army almost two months after my eighteenth birthday in April 2014," Harrison smiled.

"How did you swing not graduating High School? Are the laws for joining the military different on your island?" Brana wondered curiously.

"A little. See, when we start school is different from yours. I think in the US, you all start school when you're five-years-old, right?" Harrison asked, and Briana nodded.

"Yeah, as long as we're five by the time the school year starts, we enter Kindergarten," Briana confirmed. "But I started at six, no clue why, though," she added.

"Well for Arc Isle residents, we start Kindergarten at seven-years-old. Weird, I know. So, we graduate around eighteen or nineteen depending on birthday. I never made it to Senior year. I turned eighteen four months before the end of Junior. So, due to being an adult, I was allowed to join. You don't need a diploma or GED to do so, just have to be eighteen or older and pass the necessary subjects test they issue. It's like a mini GED, something to make sure we know the things we need to," Harrison explained.

"Oh, I see now!" Briana nodded understanding.

"On my timeline then, you joined the Army when I started Basic," Harrison chuckled.

"And you had BCT, AIT, and DT, right?" Briana inquired.

"That's right. All my training finished October 21st, 2014. And we stationed in the US on the 29th of December, so I guess we just missed seeing you all before you left," Harrison pointed out.

"Well, we met here," Briana reminded.

"And boy am I glad we did. I enjoy the time we spend together," Harrison admitted.

"Me too. So, where do we go from here, Harry?" Briana asked.

"What do you mean?" Harrison wondered, unsure of how to take her words.

Briana giggled. "We finished our food, more people are coming, and it's getting louder. Do you want to go maybe walk around and talk more?"

Harrison thought about what Briana said; taking a walk did sound nice, but he knew something that would be much better. "How about a fly before it gets dark?" Harrison inquired as Briana quirked her brow in curiosity.

"I, uh, don't have a dragon, Harrison, but that would be amazing if I could be up there," Briana replied with a smile. Harrison got up and cleared hers and his trays of food, then offered his hand to bring her to her feet.

"Follow me," Harrison instructed as Briana nodded and walked with Harrison out of the mess hall then towards the stables. Upon arriving, Toothless began jumping around excitedly. "Ssh, bud," Harrison eased him to relax. Harrison got Toothless saddled and led him out, then got on his back before offering his hand to Briana. "Do you trust me, Bri?"

"I-I do, but...what are we doing?" Briana puzzled.

"Going flying. What does it look like? Come on," Harrison invited.

"Are we allowed to do this?" Briana asked nervously.

"No one said we couldn't. Get on; I wanna show you something I get to see every night," Harrison smiled. Briana grabbed his hand and got on Toothless's back, then wrapped her arms around Harrison's waist. "Sky, Toothless," the Night Fury wasted no time taking to the air. Harrison was going to show her the sunset from on the back of a dragon, it was a sight to see, and he wanted to share it with her. Getting into the sky at the right level, Toothless hovered and faced the direction of the sunset on the horizon.

"Oh. My. God. It's...breathtaking," Briana breathed out as she laid her chin on Harrison's shoulder, taking it all in around her.

"I know right?" Harrison smiled. After it was over, Harrison prepared to take them back to the ground.

"Harrison, wait a moment before we land," Briana stopped him as Harrison blinked a few times. "Look. I know you like me, it wasn't hard to miss your apparent flirting earlier," she started, and Harrison stiffened a little. "I think you should know that I like you too," Harrison turned to face her carefully so she wouldn't fall off Toothless, his eyes wide with shock. Briana knew that he liked her and she returned the feelings. "So, before we go back to the ground, I wanted to know where we take this?"

"Well, I mean, it's my understanding that if two people feel the same way, then they typically start dating. I-Is that...something you would want to do, Briana?" Harrison asked gently.

"It is, Harrison. I just worry if it would work out while we're here and all?" Briana replied.

"The military on both sides isn't opposed to relationships as long as there's nothing intimate going on. I believe such acts are saved for off the clock and in one's home," Harrison responded. "I think we'd be okay as long as we're still doing our work and nothing too...distracting," Harrison stated.

"So, stay professional in public, focused during work, and keep it simple?" Briana questioned.

"Exactly. And after the tour ends, we'll figure something out. For now, let's just enjoy what we got," Harrison smiled at her, and she returned it.

"I'm down with that. Are we together now?" Briana inquired with a hand on Harrison's shoulder.

"I'd say we are," Harrison nodded. In agreement of their newly established relationship as a couple; holding the titles of boyfriend and girlfriend to one another, Harrison faced Briana enough to kiss her softly. When the kiss ended, both blushed and returned to ground level just before their friends arrived. Harrison quickly got Toothless putaway, promising a longer flight in the morning as Harrison and Briana acted like nothing was different. For the time being, they weren't going to make their relationship public and just see how it went to start.

Briana and Harrison decided to retire to their barracks for the night, Briana's was one over from Harrison's, she was on the first level and on the side that faced the stables too. As they were clear of the others, they shared another small kiss before saying good night because it really had been an incredible one. All it took was one flight for their feelings to be admitted and them to start a relationship together. As Harrison and Briana labeled the end of their night; it was a flight to their feelings.


	17. Finally On Leave

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; HarrisonXAddilyn_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! Also, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character; Ella(Eira) Solveig. She belongs to my good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

17) Finally On Leave

 _{Harrison's POV}_

 **[Friday, August 14, 2015-8:30 am]**

What a night! Fury Fire Unit pulled a double shift patrolling in a neighboring village. It was only supposed to be eight hours long, ended up doing sixteen because of a reason I still haven't been told. 8 am yesterday to 4 pm was the first guard. Then, we added another eight hours making it 12 am today that we got back to the barracks to give the report, take off the gear, use the restroom, and finally lay down to get some sleep. The last time I saw on the clock before knocking out was 1:20 am. However, now it was going on 9 am, and I was finally awake, showered, and dressed for the day. One of the first things I wanted to do was greet my girlfriend, but as it turned out, she had left for a six-hour patrol at 7:30 am so I wouldn't see her until after lunch around 1:30 pm.

Yes, Briana and I had been together a full week today and figured after the first two weeks, we could tell our friends. It got discussed on Monday about the fact we couldn't keep it from them for long, or they might get upset that we kept secrets. I still had not told my family either. I knew it would get to Addy and I wasn't ready to deal with that while deployed because I knew she would be upset that I said she and I could talk after the tour ended and I was back in Berkville, yet, I ended up starting a relationship with Briana. I knew I wasn't obligated to return Addilyn's feelings, but maybe I should have just let her know I didn't feel the same. Of course, I didn't realize until Briana, and I became friends and now dating as a couple.

I would tell them eventually, maybe after Bri and I saw how things would go? I didn't want to tell everyone she and I were dating, then have us break up for whatever reason. It seemed wise to wait for the time being, right? That's how I saw it at least. I know Briana has not told her family yet either. It was better this way for a while; we'd come out about it when we felt stable enough, yeah, that's a good word to describe it. One of the only things I wondered lately was when I might get my off time. I could use a little out of a war zone for a bit, I missed my family a lot, and I probably would get five to seven days like the rest of my platoon. Most of them had already gotten their leave as early as the three-month mark of arriving here.

Going away for a week, I'd be gone from Briana, but I was sure we would be able to talk still. Skype and texting, just as we did now when we weren't on missions but still away from one another. We did it a lot at night after retiring to our barracks; we'd message one another until we were tired enough to sleep. So, what did I do with my morning now since Briana was on her guard? I suppose I could go to breakfast, that would be a good start and then maybe call home and say hi to everyone? It was a decent plan. I grabbed my phone and left mine and Trevor's barrack room.

 **[9 am-Mess Hall]**

I reached my destination and saw my platoon sitting together with Aaron and Glenn not that far away sitting with other leaders. I got my food and then took a seat beside Syrus after he had moved over to make space for me to join them.

"Morning, Harrison!" the twenty-eight at the table greeted me.

"Hey, guys and girls," I replied with a smile as I began eating my eggs, sausage patties, and two pieces of toast with strawberry jelly. I also had a cup of coffee; it had become an acquired taste over the last few months I'd been here. September would mark month five of the tour, so, it was almost over.

"Slept in, huh?" Dexter asked.

"Yeah, I was tired," I said with a nod. After that, it was engaging in light conversation as everyone ate their food and relaxed. When I finished there around 10 am, I decided to take Toothless for a fly around the camp, and maybe a little beyond to where Briana was. I couldn't go down and see her, but I made sure she knew I was there, it warmed my heart to see her smile up at me. As the fly was over, I let Toothless rest up in the stable while I sat in there with him and decided to call home to see what everyone was up to today.

I knew Addilyn was over with Regina; both were babysitting Nate for summer break. Franklin and TJ had part time jobs; I believe I got TJ in at Berkys after a call to Calvin back in June when TJ mentioned he wanted to work there. As far as I knew, Regina didn't intend on going to college. When school started up again, I was confident that she would continue to come over after the school day finished to watch Nate until Mom and Dad came home from their work day. However, Regina would work a part time job three or four days a week until 2:30 pm which is the time she would go to my house to get Nate off the bus and watch him.

Addy, I knew without a doubt was going to college; she wanted to be a daycare worker, taking care of kids that were newborn to seven years old, which is when they'd start Kindergarten. I also knew that she was furthering that education to become a teacher for elementary school children. For now, though, Addy was helping Regina with watching Nate. Addy had a car; it was easier for the three of them to go out and do things as a group or so I understood. I forgot what summer job Frankie had, I think he was working with his dad in the family business and then would be going to college to learn how to be a business owner.

TJ didn't plan on going to school, but the last time I spoke to him, he'd been considering it again. Good for him if he did, that's all I could say. I had my job, and I loved it. Calling home for me depended on what time it was. Back in Berkville right now, it was 8 am. Dad started work between the hours of 6 am, and 9 am at the police station and got the weekends off, but he would go in if there were an emergency. Now for Mom, she was the principal of Berkville Academy. However, there was still summer school, and she had to be there for that and to get things ready for the upcoming school year. I already mentioned what my friends were doing with jobs. How I made my calls were as followed:

Nate, Addy, and Regina first. Then Mom and Dad. Finally, Frankie and TJ, but only if they weren't working already. By the time I finished with all the talking, it was 11 am for me. There was still two and a half hours left until Briana got off her shift and we could have a late lunch together. What the hell did I do with my free time now? I guess I could go back to sleep with my cell set to an alarm to wake me up for 1:15 pm? Yeah, that sounded good. Exiting the stables, Aaron met me. I saluted him, and he returned it.

"At ease, Haddock," Aaron informed, and I relaxed a little. "I feel I must apologize to you, lad," he began.

I arched a brow. "Whatever for, sir?" I asked curiously.

"It just dawned on me that you never got to take your leave. I was sure I had sent you already, but when I checked over my list, you're the only one who hasn't taken it yet," Aaron stated.

"Well, I could have told you that, sir. I know I haven't gone, I wasn't all that worried about it," I admitted. Most of my time, as others took their breaks from war was spent with Briana, so I hadn't cared so much.

Aaron chuckled a little and patted me on the back. "You're a good kid, but every soldier is entitled to their leave and has to take it. You get a full week and can go as soon as you find a flight home out of KWI, your time starts when you call and check in to tell us you've landed safely back on Arc Isle," he explained.

Right, I remembered now. Trevor mentioned it when he came back that it took him almost a week to find a decently priced flight home and then back again. That's how it worked; I had to find a commercial flight to take out of KWI(Kuwait International Airport) and into AIIA(Arc Isle International Airport). Also, it had to be round-trip as I needed to return before midnight of the last day. Well, it looks like I found what I would be doing while I waited for Bri to get back; find myself a flight home for my leave time.

"Will do, Major Hagebak," I nodded to him as he walked away, and I sighed moving to my barrack room and getting my laptop powered on to start searching for a flight because some of these last minute ones cost a fortune.

 **[1:45 pm]**

I looked all this time and found nothing that was reasonably priced; everything was $2,500 or higher. Not something I wanted to pay because that was just the flight to Arc Isle; there were choices below the departure ones for the return trip back to Kuwait. Overall, the price would be $5,000, and that didn't include any hotels I might have to stay in overnight; there had to be a better way to do this. I sat back at my desk and checked the time. Briana should be getting back any minute, and we could go to lunch, I might as well take a break for now. Closing my computer, I went outside and saw Toothless, then Briana rubbing under his chin.

"Hey, you're back!" I said with a smile.

"Yep, just got in about five minutes ago. Toothless saw me and begged for my attention," Briana replied with a smile, I looked around quickly to see if the coast was clear and confirmed that it was so I gave her a kiss on the lips.

"HAH! We knew it!" the kiss was interrupted by our friends. Briana jumped a little at the surprise and held onto me as we saw Trevor, Syrus, Dexter, Skye, Andy, Olivia, Chelsea, and Ella pop out from their hiding places.

"We knew something was going on between you two! So spill it, Haddock!" Trevor and Syrus demanded.

"Well, we were going to tell them next week anyway, babe," Briana informed with a soft smile.

"True," I sighed a little. "Alright, the truth is that Bri and I are dating," I watched their eyes widen, and mouths drop open. And here it comes...

"WHAT?"

"WHEN?"

"HOW?!"

"WHY?" got yelled from different people in the small group surrounding us.

"Harrison and I are dating. You know, as in boyfriend and girlfriend?" Briana clarified. "It happened last Friday when we admitted to liking one another during the fly on Toothless," she stated as our friends started blinking.

"You took her on a flight?" Skye asked, and I nodded. "We're not supposed to be on dragons,"

"Briana was just my passenger, and no one will get in trouble as long as you keep your mouths shut. I took her to watch the sunset from a sky view. We admitted to having feelings for one another, so we agreed to be a couple. And we're just not showing it off to people in case the officers don't approve so if you could maybe not make a huge deal out of it then we'd appreciate it,"

"Well, I suppose it makes sense then. If they went public about the relationship, it could be a problem. Members of the same company aren't supposed to date," Andy stated.

"Yeah, but we're only temporary members of this company. We have our own back on Arc Isle, this was just for the tour," I reminded.

"True," Andy nodded. "Well, we're happy for you. Just be careful," Briana and I nodded to him as the other congratulated us too.

"Speaking of Arc Isle," I mentioned as I grabbed their attention once more. "Hagebak just granted me my leave time,"

"I was beginning to think he forgot about you," Trevor chuckled.

"He did forget about me," I muttered, clearly unamused. "Either way, I can't find a cheap flight anytime before October, which is when the tour ends,"

"Why don't you take Toothless, babe? Why do you need a plane when you have a dragon?" Briana suggested, and my eyes widened a little. Why hadn't I thought of that?! Toothless was a Night Fury, fastest dragon around. I could be home in twelve hours with his speed and maybe a break or two in between!

"You're a genius!" I kissed her quickly then rushed off to find Aaron to make sure it would be okay to take Toothless instead of a plane. I didn't see why I couldn't. I was licensed to fly Toothless anywhere as long as it wasn't higher than ten thousand feet which are the height planes flew.

 **[An Hour Later]**

I raced to the barrack to pack my stuff; I was leaving on Sunday at 5: 30 am! Aaron said I could take Toothless, but I had to check in at every break and the same rules applied that my leave counter started when I landed in Berkville. I couldn't wait to do this; all I needed was a map and compass, those were two things I knew how to use well. I already told Briana and our friends. I chose Sunday because it was a day I knew everyone would be over for picnics. See, my family was good friends with the parents of my buddies, and they always did a Sunday gathering, and I would be landing at 5:30 pm, just in time for dinner. Wouldn't this be a surprise for them?

 **[Sunday Night; Berkville-Haddock Household-5:45 pm]**

Okay, so I landed a little later than expected because of the winds causing a problem to fly in, but I was just coming into Berkville now and heading right for my parent's place. The flight wasn't bad, Toothless and I planned his flying speeds depending on how far we were going between countries. I checked in with Aaron or Glenn, called Briana too during the breaks. However, now, it was time to surprise the family and friends. Toothless and I got a good peek from behind a large tree for the opening to land, and then we shot out and landed in plain sight.

"Harrison!?" they exclaimed as I grinned a little.

"Surprise," I said. Oh, it was a good feeling indeed to see their shocked faces that Toothless and I was there in the backyard. I was still in my ACU, Aaron said it was required. I didn't care because right now at this moment of landing, I was finally on leave.


	18. Nice To Be Back

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; HarrisonXAddilyn_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! Also, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character; Ella(Eira) Solveig. She belongs to my good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

18) Nice To Be Back

 _{Normal POV}_

 **[Haddock Household-5:45 pm-Sunday, 4/16/2015]**

The weekly picnic put on by the Haddock family was in full swing, and everyone was ready to eat when Spencer called that the food was up and for them to eat. The Thorston's, Hofferson's, Ingerman's and Jorgenson's would get together with the Haddocks, and it would be a fun time for everyone to hang out. The parents of the friends started doing it in the sixth grade, meeting up every Sunday at the Haddock residence for a picnic so the buddies could have a day to relax and play before school or if it was in the summer, a day before everyone went back to work.

The reason it got held at Spencer and Viviana's was that they had the biggest yard, equipped with an outdoor kitchen, patio, and pool. In the winter, the outdoor kitchen was still inside of a good ventilated room that big enough to the families together, and the kids would play downstairs in the playroom. It always worked out, and everyone had a blast. Each family would bring something to the picnic, whether it be an appetizer, the main course, or a dessert. Harrison would always help his parents clean up or watch Nate while they cleaned. Tonight, they expected it to be like any other Sunday with Harrison and Syrus not joining them due to the deployment. However, the thought changed when Toothless landed in the backyard with Harrison on his back, grinning like an idiot.

"HARRISON!?" everyone exclaimed in shock to see him there.

"Surprise," Harrison stated. At that moment, nobody cared about finding out why he was there. Everyone rushed over to greet him, the friends staying back to allow the family to go first. Harrison got off Toothless's back and removed his saddle so he could go lay down and relax after the long trip home, then Vivian had been the first in line to hug Harrison tightly, doing her best not to cry. Sure, the duration of the deployment, Harrison would Skype with them, and they could see his face that way, but nothing compared to being there in the flesh where they could hug him.

"My boy!" Vivian whimpered as she stepped back and kissed both sides of his cheeks, then one more on the forehead.

"Hi, Mom," Harrison smiled.

"Viv, move. The rest of us would like to greet him too!" Spencer demanded jokingly as Viviana transferred to the side, wiping her eyes while Spencer hugged Harrison next, kissing the top of his head. "It's good to see you, son,"

"You too, Dad. Feels like it's been forever," Harrison remarked.

"Dad! I want to hug him!" Nate tried to shove his father out of the way. Spencer laughed a little and stepped next to Viviana to hold her as she calmed down from the emotionalness of Harrison being there. Nate smiled wide as he launched himself at his elder brother and hugged him tightly. Harrison hugged Nate back, then put him down as Nate looked up at him. "Why didn't you tell us you were coming in?!"

"I thought it might be a pleasant surprise just to show up," Harrison admitted as Nate moved aside and Harrison greeted Frankie, TJ, Addilyn, and Regina next, then all the parents.

"Is the tour over, are the others home too?" asked Hailey, hopeful that her brother was home too.

"Sorry, Hailey. The tour isn't over; this is only time off for me," Harrison replied. Hailey looked down a little as Harrison hugged her. "He asked me to give you this," he smiled. Hailey hugged him back.

"Give that to him when you get back?" Hailey wondered.

"Of course," Harrison nodded to her.

"How are things in Kuwait? Is Syrus safe, we haven't heard from him all day," asked April Jorgenson, Syrus's mother.

"I believe he's on a mission right now with Trev, Dex, Liv, Chels, Steph, and El. You'll probably hear from him tomorrow. As far as I know, after the assignment ends they have baseline patrol with the rest of the platoon," Harrison informed.

"Oh, I do hope they'll be safe," Sara Ingerman said softly.

"How long are you home for?" TJ questioned.

"I gotta be back before midnight next Sunday," Harrison responded.

"How was the flight into Arc Isle?" Viviana asked curiously.

"Viv, don't hound the boy, he just got in. Harrison, drop your bags inside them come join us for dinner," Spencer smiled. Harrison nodded as he hurried inside to his room and put his backpack on the bed, then he quickly changed into civilian clothes and returned outside. Harrison jumped in the food line and grabbed himself a cheeseburger, hotdog, chips, and some of Michelle Hofferson's famous baked macaroni and cheese with broccoli in it before taking a seat on the outdoor patio set. However, he didn't eat right away as he got Toothless half a barrel of fish for his supper.

"Alright, now while we eat can you tell us how the trip was?" Nate inquired. "Was it another overnight flight?" he wondered.

Harrison smiled a little. "Nope. Just ten hours of flying with two one-hour breaks in Turkey and Romania," he informed.

"Were you on a new aircraft or something? I don't think I've heard of any that could go that long," Amy Thorston, mother of Regina and TJ pondered.

"New airline called Night Fury Air," Harrison hinted with a smile as they all stopped eating and looked up at him with surprise. "Was it something I said?" he stated casually.

"Night Fury Air? Wait you mean you flew Toothless home?" Addilyn exclaimed.

"That I did," Harrison nodded to her. "Pretty cool, right?" Harrison grinned.

"How in the name of Odin did you pull that off?" Spencer blinked.

"Major Hagebak said it was okay as long as I checked in on each break and stayed out of thin air so I wouldn't get light-headed. I left Kuwait this morning at 7:30 am, and have been flying since," Harrison told them.

"Okay, I have to know how you made it back here so fast. Toothless...can't travel all that distance in twelve hours. Can he?" Frankie asked with a look of curiousness in his green eyes.

"Toothless's top speed is that of a P-51 Mustang aircraft. That number would be four hundred and thirty miles per hours. However, normal fly speed is two-fifty. I went from Kuwait to Turkey at a rate of three hundred and fifty; it only took three hours. We took a quick break to eat then we flew two-fifty for two hours from Turkey to Romania. That is where we took our first-hour long break to recover," Harrison began.

"Afterward, we traveled nine hundred and seventy-six miles from Romania to Denmark at Toothless's top speed, took two hours total. Took another hour break and then flew at three-forty speed for two hours from Denmark to Arc Isle Airport. Had to get checked in there, took a bit, then flew here and got delayed with some of the weather coming into Arc Isle. Now, here I am," Harrison finished.

"That's incredible!" Nate said with a look of adoration in his eyes.

"And how didn't you end up lost?" Spencer asked.

"Compass and map, plus Toothless knows where he's going," Harrison chuckled. "It's going to be a fun flight back to Kuwait, we're probably taking the same route," he added.

"Just be safe, Harrison and best check in with us," Vivian demanded.

"Yes, Mom. Speaking of, I should probably call Hagebak or Belmore to let them know I made it here," Harrison suddenly remembered that he didn't let them know. Harrison got up from the table and stepped off to the side while getting his cell phone out and trying to make the calls but it seemed he couldn't get through. "Damn reception," he muttered. At that, they watched Harrison turn his phone to the side and after scrolling a few times on the screen and clicking something. The device gave a long beep, then a button on the side turned from orange to green.

~Haddock to Grayson. Am I coming through clear?~

 _~Hi, Harry. Yeah, you're fine. What's up? Did you make it to Berkville safely?~_ __came a female voice they didn't recognize.

~Of course. Can you do me a favor?~

 _~Sure, whatever you need,~_

~Will you let Major Aaron Hagebak or Second Lieutenant Glenn Belmore of Wind Rider know that I made it home safely? I tried to call them, but they aren't answering,~

 _~I think it's because they are in a meeting. Well, your Major might be,~_ __There was a pause now. _~And I think Lieutenant Belmore is on the mission with your unit since you're not here,~_ the female finished gently. Harrison's face turned to a frown. That recon mission started at 2 pm Kuwait time; they shouldn't still be on it.

Harrison couldn't let the others hear about the mission, especially because Hailey and the Jorgenson's might get worried. Civilians weren't allowed to hear mission details without permission from the CO first. ~Move to secure code, please? I'm with unauthorized company,~ Harrison knew she would understand what he meant, and he ignored the looks from the others.

 _~Of course, Private Haddock,~_ the female stated gently. _~Prenons-nous nous parler en français?_ _ **(Will they catch on to us speaking in French?)**_ ~ Harrison glanced at the other watching, and they looked beyond confused which is is exactly what he had been going for.

 _~Ouais. Ils ne savent pas que je connais d'autres langues._ _ **(Yeah. They don't know I know other languages.)**_ Harrison responded. Now his family and friends were really confused.

~Pourquoi l'unité est-elle revenue de la mission encore, Bri? **(Why hasn't the unit returned from the mission yet, Bri?)** ~

 _~Il y avait une embuscade. Votre peloton, Skye, Andy et moi-même sommes en veille pour aller. Belmore a dit qu'il nous informerait s'ils avaient besoin d'une extraction au bout de deux heures. Cela fait partie depuis._ _ **(There was an ambush. Your platoon, Skye, Andy, and myself are on standby to go. Belmore said he would let us know if they needed extraction by the end of two hours. It has been one since.)**_ Briana explained to Harrison as he sighed with his eyes closed.

~Est-ce que je tiens-moi informé? **(Keep me posted, please?)** ~

 _~Je vais, Harry, ne vous inquiétez pas. Je suis sûr que l'unité et le Lieutenant Belmore sont très bien. Vous appréciez votre congé en famille et entre amis. Je promets que nous pouvons gérer les choses ici jusqu'à ce que vous reveniez dimanche prochain. **(I will, Harry, don't worry. I'm sure the unit and Lieutenant Belmore are just fine. You enjoy your leave with family and friends. I promise we can handle things here until you get back next Sunday.)~** _

~Je vous crois, Amour. Et désolé d'utiliser toutes les formalités, Bri. Je ne crois pas que ma famille soit prête à apprendre à me faire une petite amie en tournée, **(I believe you, Love. And sorry about using all the formalities, Bri. I don't believe my family is ready to learn about me getting a girlfriend while on tour,)** ~

 _~Ne t'inquiète pas, Harrison. Continuez, passez du temps avec votre famille et vos amis. Je promets que tout ira bien ici, **(Don't worry about it, Harrison. Go on, spend time with your family and friends. I promise everything will be okay here,)** ~_

~D'accord, Briana. Vous gagnez, bébé. Faites-moi savoir si quelque chose change. Je vais abandonner mon congé pour revenir là-bas et aider avec Toothless, **(All right, Briana. You win, babe. Let me know if anything changes. I'll give up my leave to come back there and assist with Toothless,)** ~

 _~Ne vous dérangez pas, Harrison. Restez où vous êtes et passez du temps libre. Nous sommes des soldats, nous pouvons gérer les choses pendant une semaine. D'ailleurs, Toothless, je suis sûr que ça pourrait faire une pause après tout ce vol. Je vous tiendrai informé des choses et nous pouvons parler plus ce soir, d'accord? **(Never you mind, Harrison. Stay where you are and take some time off. We're soldiers, we can handle things for a week. Besides, Toothless, I'm sure could use a break after all that flying. I will keep you informed about things and we can talk more tonight, okay?)** ~_

~Très bien, je vais essayer de me détendre. Je m'inquiète pour mes amis, Briana. Tu le sais. Alors, nous parlerons plus tard alors? **(Very well, I'll try and relax. I worry about my friends, Briana. You know that. So, we'll talk later then?)** ~

 _~Bien sûr. J'attends votre appel quand il est sûr que personne ne le découvre. Comme je l'ai dit, ne vous inquiétez pas de ne pas leur dire parce que je n'ai pas non plus dit le mien, mais vous savez que nous ne pouvons pas le cacher pour toujours,_ _ **(Of course. I'll be waiting for your call when it's safe that no one finds out. As I said, don't worry about not telling them because I haven't told mine either, but you know we can't hide it forever,)**_ ~

~Nous ne le ferons pas. Il vaut mieux attendre que la tournée se termine. Je vais appeler après que ce pique-nique soit terminé. Vers 11 heures votre temps, beau. Je devrais aller pour l'instant. Je vais vous parler dans quelques heures, petite fille, **(We won't. Just better to wait until the tour ends. I'll call after this picnic is over. Around 11 pm your time, beautiful. I should go for now. I'll talk to you in a few hours, baby girl,)** ~

 _~Je ne peux pas attendre. Je t'aime, Harrison, **(I can't wait. I love you, Harrison,)** ~_

Harrison had been a little surprised to hear Briana say she loved him. After all, the two had only been dating for a week, and he wasn't sure they had reached that level yet. Not that he minded, he liked Briana a lot and hearing her say she loved him, well, Harrison felt his feelings were strong enough to say it back and return what she felt for him.

~Je t'aime aussi, Briana, **(I love you too, Briana,)** ~ Harrison released the button on the phone as the light disappeared and he slipped it away into his jeans.

"What was that all about?" Addilyn inquired. "Who were you talking to?"

"None of your business, Addy," Harrison retorted. "Bri is a friend I work with in Kuwait; we're in the same company. Well, a temporary one. Wind Rider soldiers joined up with them for dragon support. Briana and I have the same feature on our phones; it doubles as a walkie-talkie, so I knew she'd answer if I called," Harrison stated.

"Yeah, but why were you talking a different language?" Regina wondered.

"Civilians aren't allowed to know what's going on aside from what the news gives them. Sorry, classified information," Harrison lied. "Now for security reasons, we can't keep talking about it," Harrison informed wanting to drop the subject as fast as possible before someone went and tried to figure out that he said to Briana in French. Deciding to let it go, Harrison and the others just continued to eat their food and talk about how life had been since the last time they spoke. Harrison couldn't wait to talk to Briana again, hopefully not in another language either. All Harrison could think was about how nice it was to be back.


	19. My Girlfriend

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; HarrisonXBriana_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! Also, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character; Ella(Eira) Solveig. She belongs to my good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

 **=Authors Note;** _There is to be a last minute pairing change. Instead of HiccupXAstrid, it will be HiccupXOC. I've decided that I haven't written a Modern Military AU with Hiccup and OC pairing yet and will be doing it with this one. So, ignore the first 18 chapters where the COUPLE is listed as Harrison and Addilyn. You will notice the top of 19 and future episodes will be Harrison X Briana. Enjoy!_

19) My Girlfriend

 _{Addilyn's POV}_

 **[Wednesday, August 19, 2015-Berkville]**

I was beyond happy that Harrison was home from Kuwait, even if it is only for a week. Having Harrison land in Spencer and Viviana's yard on Sunday was the best day ever since he had left and even we were more surprised to learn that he flew back to Berkville from Kuwait on Toothless. However, the good feeling didn't last when Harrison spoke to this 'Briana' girl on the walkie talkie feature with his mobile device. Harrison assured that she was just a friend from the American soldier they were working with, but that wasn't the vibe I got. I knew that there were some missions we couldn't know about and this felt like one that Harrison said he couldn't speak about in front of the mixed company was not one of them. Now, I didn't know what language he was talking to this female in, but it didn't just sound like a conversation regarding a mission.

Call me crazy, but that's how I felt. I've had feelings for Hunter since Freshman Year of High School, and I knew everything there was to know about him. For example, I always knew when he was lying because he couldn't make eye contact. Glances perhaps, but never a full look at the person. When Harrison told us that Bri or Briana was someone they worked with and happened to have the same feature on their phones to communicate, Harrison wouldn't look me in the eyes when I asked who he was speaking with. And I noticed that he didn't make eye contact with Regina or anyone for that matter when she questioned why Harrison spoke in another language.

However, there was something off with his words. Harrison made contact SOMETIMES while talking before telling us to let it go. Also, I happened to see how calm Harrison was talking to Briana about the mission. If it was so secretive, wouldn't Harrison be a lot more worried about his friends? I didn't understand it. All the time Harrison has been home, he seems different-constantly distracted by his phone to be precise. I didn't know what it was, but all the time myself and our friends have spent with Harrison, he seems uninterested or would cut us off to answer a text. When asked who he was talking to, he replied with, 'the guys.' It made me curious as to why that was so important.

Harrison hadn't been home since April 11th, 2015. It is now August 19th, 2015 and it seems like he doesn't even care that he's with us again after four long months of being away. Honestly, I felt like Harrison wished he was still in Kuwait and not with us. I don't know why I felt that way, but I did, and I didn't like it. More for me to ponder as I've been observing Harrison is that early in the evening, say around 9 pm, he would say he's tired and retire to his room, but as we were leaving, we would hear him on the phone. I had this gut feeling that Harrison was talking to friends from Kuwait and again, it made me think that he just didn't want to be home, that he wanted to be there again.

I had been hoping that during his leave time, I might be able to talk to him about the things we had discussed before Harrison left Berkville in April. I wanted to know if he returned my feelings, but thus far, I haven't seen anything that would point to him liking me back. Don't get me wrong, it would hurt to know he doesn't return my feelings, but at least I'd still have him as a friend and could move on with the assumption that it wasn't meant to be. That would be all right with me, I just wanted to know, and it seemed every chance I got to ask Harrison if we could talk, he would dodge me or go back to typing on that blasted phone of his. There was no way that his friends had ALL that time to talk while deployed. I knew that for a fact because Harrison said it to his family and us during one of the Sunday gatherings.

Harrison specifically stated that he apologized for the lack of responses, it's just too busy always to reply. Now, I know that he probably spoke to them once or twice through the day, but all day? And what was with the stupid, but a gentle smile on his face when he replied to messages. Hell, there were times I heard him chuckle softly and shake his head, but the smile would remain. What was with all that? I didn't understand, and I wanted to! I was going to get to the bottom of this before Sunday when he left again, and Thor only knew when we'd see him since he had to go right to the USA from Kuwait.

 _{Harrison's POV}_

I loved being home; it was a change up from all the war stuff like missions, guards, fighting, etc. However, as happy as I was to see family and friends again, I missed being in Kuwait with Wind Rider Platoon, Briana, Andy, Skye, and a few other friends I'd made with the American's since being there four months ago. Gods, I wanted to Bri in my arms again. Before leaving Camp Arifjan, I felt like an enormous weight had been lifted off my shoulders when my friends, Skye and Andy found out that Briana and I were dating. I liked having them knowing; it meant that Bri and I didn't have to be so careful around them, but still had to watch for commanding officers and could figure more relationship things out later on when the tour ended.

I would get stationed in the US for a bit, that would give Briana, and I time to talk more about things. Aaron and Glenn so far have said that we would be there until after the 2016 year began so sometime in January of the New Year, we would be returning to Arc Isle. That is where things with Briana got complicated because I had no idea how we would continue to date being countries apart. I had Toothless and if I could get from Kuwait to Berkville between eleven and twelve hours, then surely I could make the flight to see Briana every couple of weeks if I had the time to make the trip. I had thought about it last night actually, how the trip would go from Arc Isle to Georgia in the US. Briana said she lived about thirty minutes from Fort Benning. I looked up the distances online. I could make the flight; I just didn't know how the weather would be or how much time I'd be given to visit her or how often.

Briana didn't have a dragon but said she was going to sign up for the Fort Benning class when the tour ended, maybe at that point, we could meet somewhere in the middle and just have some time to ourselves. The flight time would be about eighteen hours, and that depended on weather, winds, how fast Toothless was flying. Plus, we'd have to make stops to rest. I mapped it out that we'd have to go from Arc Isle to Iceland, onto Greenland, then Maine in the US, then fly South to Georgia. It would be a long trip but worth it to see her, I suppose I shouldn't worry about it right now. There was time to figure things out, I'd say until the New Year at best.

So, my time at home has been enjoyable thus far. Sunday night was spent enjoying the rest of the picnic with my family, friends, and relatives. I did hear from Briana two hours after the first talk we had, and she let me know that my unit was back at the base safely and taking a breather before the guard shift. I was thankful for that; I hadn't liked finding out that my friends were in danger with me so far away. Monday was spent just relaxing and talking about how things had been with everyone. Frankie and Regina were working through the morning but came over around 2 pm. Dad and Mom stayed home from work to spend time with me.

It was nice, as I said but I still had my distractions. It started with Dexter and Syrus checking in with Hailey and Syrus's parents; then I'd end up texting them when they had time to talk about fun stuff we could do when I got back. A lot of my texting or instant messaging on Skype was with Briana. On Friday, it would mark she and I being together for two weeks! I couldn't wait to get back to Kuwait and see her. Was that a bad thing? I finally got some time off from war, but I wanted to go back so I could be with my girlfriend? I didn't think it was wrong. I'd never had a girlfriend before, so this was new to me, and I wanted to spend all the time I got with her before we possibly got separated upon returning to the US. On Tuesday, I went and saw Calvin and the old crew at Berkys. For a bit, Cal thought I was off tour and hoping that I was coming back to work.

I told him that when I got home from the US if I didn't have other assignments, I would start working again. Of course, Calvin understood, and I spent two or so hours there with them, then went home to hang out with my little brother. Nathaniel and I were close, and a lot of times, it didn't feel like we were seven years apart in age. I couldn't believe that Nate would be fourteen in February, and then I was turning twenty-years-old at the end of the same month. Nate and I went out to lunch, then to the amusement park for a few hours before I brought him home and spent time with everyone else too. However, today was Wednesday the 19th, and I had my friends over since Mom and Dad had to work until 3:30 pm at least. Nate was here too; I wasn't sure how we were going to do for the day but, it wasn't my biggest question.

I got a message from Skye this morning around 7 am Arc Isle time that Briana might have slow responses today because she woke up at 3:15 am not feeling well. At 7 am Kuwait time, Skye took her to the TMC to be looked over, and the medic is saying that it might be a twenty-four-hour bug and would know more if, after that time frame, Briana was still sick. I guess all I could do was wait to find out, but Bri and I were talking still, during the times she was awake. I caught glances at my friends all sitting around the living room, looking at me and wondering why I wasn't talking to them a lot. I felt bad, but only a little. Briana told me that she wished I was back and there to keep her company since Skye and Andy were on patrol for another six hours.

"So, what do you want to do today, Harrison?" TJ asked.

"Hm?" I looked up from my phone at him. "Uh, it doesn't matter to me. I gotta be here to keep an eye on Nate until my parents get home," I replied.

"How is Syrus doing?" Frankie wondered.

"He's okay last I heard. Talked to Dex and him last night before they left for the guard at 2100 hours," I stated while replying to a message from Briana.

"2100?" Addilyn inquired.

"Sorry, it's military time. 2100 hours is nine at night. You know how the clock is one through twelve?" I stated, and they nodded. "Well, while counting, after twelve you go to thirteen then fourteen all the way back to the twelve which would become twenty-four because there are twenty-four hours in a day. Make sense?" I added.

"Not in the slightest, no," Regina remarked.

"Okay, let me try it like this. Start at 12 am, when a new day begins, right? At that hour, we refer to it as 0000 hours. The next hour is 1 am, called 0100 hours, so on and so forth until 12 pm which is called 1200 hours. Now, what comes after twelve?" I asked.

"Thirteen?" Frankie stated.

"So, it becomes 1300 hours and then continues around the clock until it gets back to twelve where it goes back to 0000 or 2400 hours when another day begins," I explained.

"Oh, got it now," TJ nodded as I turned back to my phone to reply to Briana, she was telling me that she was going to lay down for a bit and would text me back after she woke up again. With all that, she also added that she loved me and couldn't wait until I was back because she missed me. I replied with my own 'I love and miss her too.'

"Harry!" Nate called from the top of the stairs.

"What's up?" I yelled back.

"Can you help me move my bed so I can clean under it as Mom and Dad wanted me to?" Nate asked.

"Hang on; I'm coming," I sighed as I put my phone down on the table and hurried up the stairs to help my little brother out.

 _{Normal POV}_

For four minutes, Harrison was upstairs helping Nate with moving things so he'd be able to clean it efficiently. In the silence, Harrison's phone vibrated there as Addilyn-who was closest to the device-couldn't help but lean forward and peer over at the lit up screen. Much to her surprise, the alert was a Skype message from a contact labeled as 'Milady.' Addilyn didn't understand, who would Harrison have named that. Curiosity won as Addilyn grabbed the phone and opened it.

"Addy, don't," Frankie whispered.

"I want to know who he is talking to that has him so distracted from hanging out with us. You know, the friends he hasn't seen in four months?" Addilyn remarked.

"We all do, but going through his phone is an invasion of his privacy. It's against the law," Frankie argued.

"I'm just gonna find a name and put it right back, that's all," Addilyn stated as she opened the conversation and saw the message this 'Milady' person had sent: _**=Well, guess I'm not sleeping. Tried to lay down and threw up. Think you can sneak in a call? I just want to hear your voice for a second.=**_ Addilyn didn't understand. Why did this person want Harrison to call so badly? Addilyn continued to scroll up through the messages. And what she found was astounding, and at the same time, it hurt her to see. Finally, Addy found the name of this 'Milady' character because Harrison had said it earlier this morning in a message.

 _=I'm sorry you're sick, Milady. I wish I could be back there to take care of you. Stay on the water, eat light if you can and try to rest. I love you, Bri.=_

That was the message Addilyn saw, and she knew who 'Bri' was. Briana, the girl that Harrison had said on Sunday, was just a friend in the group of Americans they were helping out. "What is it? What's wrong?" Regina inquired.

"That 'Bri' person Harrison was talking to in another language on Sunday isn't just a friend," Addilyn started as footsteps were heard on the stairs to reveal Harrison standing there, his green eyes zeroing in on his phone in Addilyn's hands.

"She's my girlfriend," Harrison stated firmly in a monotone, but calm voice.


	20. Go Back To Kuwait

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; HarrisonXBriana_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! Also, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character; Ella(Eira) Solveig. She belongs to my good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

20) Go Back To Kuwait

 _{Harrison's POV}_

 **[4/19/2015-3:35 pm-Haddock Residence]**

I was only upstairs for six minutes at best to help Nate move his bed and dresser around so he could clean under them as Mom and Dad had asked him to do this morning as part of his summer chores. I stopped on the second level of the stairs so they wouldn't see or hear me but I could overhear them. I only stopped to listen because I heard Regina ask Addilyn: What is it? What's wrong?

"That 'Bri' person Harrison was talking to in another language on Sunday isn't just a friend," Addilyn started, and I knew they figured it out. However, as I made my way down the stairs, I saw my phone unlocked with the Skype screen up in Addilyn's hands. Although I was pissed she was looking at my messages; I stayed calm, and I made myself known to them.

"She's my girlfriend," I stated in a firm voice. Of course, at that moment, my parents happened to walk through the door and into the living room as I said what I did about having a girlfriend. Nate was next to me, he only got curious, but I watched my friends, and parent's faces turn to shock. Getting off the stairs, I moved to the couch Addilyn was sitting on as I saw the screen she was on; my conversation with Briana. I took the phone from her and saw the message Bri sent after I'd left to help Nate. I didn't like knowing that Bri wasn't able to rest and she was alone there with the others on a mission or patrol. So she wanted me to call her, that was all right with me.

"Girlfriend? Awe, why didn't you tell us, big brother?" Nate asked with a smile.

"Eventually when I knew if things were going to stay stable since we're deployed at the moment. It seems the officers don't care as long as we're doing our jobs. So, announcement, I have a girlfriend," I stated.

"Can we meet her?" Nate wondered.

"Well, she's in Kuwait right now, kiddo and sick at that so gimme a minute okay?" I told him as Nate nodded his head and the others didn't seem to have anything to say. I hit the phone icon on the Skype application, and it started ringing. After three in, there was an answer. "Hello, Milady," I greeted her with a smile.

 _"Harry, I'm so...glad you called,"_ Briana replied gently, coughing once or twice.

"You sound terrible, babe," I frowned.

 _"Shut up,"_ Briana mumbled. _"Is it Sunday yet?"_

"Four more days, gorgeous. Seriously, you don't sound like you have a twenty-four-hour bug. Sounds more like the flu because you're shivering, sniffling, and coughing a lot. Have you been back to the medic since this morning when Skye messaged me?" I asked.

 _"No. I slept a lot after that. I feel so weak and dizzy, but there isn't anyone to walk with me,"_ Briana stated.

"You shouldn't be by yourself dealing with this. Who authorized that decision? Which TMC did you go to?" I wondered.

 _"Uh, I think it was the far side of the bathrooms and showers,"_ Briana replied.

"You should have gone to the one past the dragon stables. Closer and they wouldn't have let you stay alone in the barrack if they knew others were leaving," I informed.

 _"Well, I can't get there now. If I try to walk without someone with me, I'm gonna knock out,"_ Briana coughed again.

"I'll find someone," I stated.

 _"How? You're way over there in Berkville,"_ Briana pointed out.

"Bri, I thought we established not to doubt me or my ability to make something happen," I chuckled.

 _"Forgive me oh great one,"_ Briana teased, and I laughed a little. Gods, this woman always did make my day.

"I prefer one who makes the impossible possible. Wait there for a second," I told her as I brought up my friend's list and found Ella online. I clicked the 'add to call' button and waited as her face came on screen, then I turned my camera on, and Briana did the same.

 _"Hi, Harrison!"_ Ella greeted with a smile, _"Hi Briana,"_

"Ella. What are you doing right now?" I asked.

 _"Sittin' in the barrack with Steph. Why? What's up?"_ Ella replied.

"Will you two do me a huge favor and walk over to Bri's room and escort her the TMC past the stables?" I asked.

 _"Sure thing, Harry. We'll be right over, Briana,"_ I heard Stephanie say from the background.

"I owe you one," I said before they got off of the call. "By the way, babe, my brother wants to meet you. Nate, this is Briana. Bri, this is Nate," I said showing her Nate on camera.

 _"Oh, he's so cute, Harrison. Looks like he could be your twin,"_ Briana complimented as Nate got shy and blushed at what she said.

"Alright you, go get ready for when El and Steph get there. I got a couple of things to do here. Let me know how you feel when you leave the TMC, okay?"

 _"Aye, aye, one who makes the impossible possible,"_ Briana said as I smiled at her. _"I love you, Harrison,"_

"I love you too, Briana. Talk to you later, beautiful," I said, and then the call ended as I slipped my phone into my pocket.

"I like her, Harrison. You better not let her go," Nate chuckled.

"I had no intention of doing so, little brother. Briana is freaking fantastic, and hey, she digs the truck too," Harrison smiled as he messed up Nate's hair. At that moment, I saw Addilyn get up and start getting her things to leave with. "Don't feel like hanging out more?" I asked her.

"Hang out? Pfft, yeah, okay. You mean sit around watching you be on your phone? No. No, I don't, Harrison," Addilyn stated as my eyes widened a little.

 _{Normal POV}_

"Um, excuse me? Have I missed something? What crawled up your ass?" Harrison asked now, not understanding the sudden coldness in her voice.

"You and the stupid phone. We haven't seen you in four months, okay? Not since April when you got on that plane to go to Kuwait and finally, you're home again, but all you wanna do is be back there," Addilyn remarked.

"That's not true; I love being home," Harrison countered.

"You sure have a funny way of showing it. Then again, how should we know how you do things? My assumption is that you don't think about anyone but yourself and do whatever it is you want to do and not care who it hurts in the process," Addilyn huffed.

"Because you have room to talk, going through my phone and messages. You realize I could call the cops on you for an invasion of privacy, right?" Harrison stated.

"Do it then. I don't care; I would rather be anywhere else than in the same room as you right now," Addilyn said coldly.

"Alright, look. I know you're all pissed off that I got a girlfriend and didn't tell anyone. It was two weeks ago, Bri and I just wanted to make sure it wouldn't be a problem with our CO's first. She hasn't even told her family yet," Harrison informed.

"That doesn't make it any better, Harrison," Frankie pointed out.

"I know I was wrong to be on your phone, but I wanted to know who the hell you were talking to that had you so distracted from your friends and family. You know, the people you haven't seen since April and won't get to see again until after however long you spend in the states," Addilyn enlightened.

"Well, now you know. I was talking to my girlfriend. I was going to tell everyone before I went back. Ya know, I feel like this isn't about me being on my phone," Harrison remarked while crossing his hands over his chest.

"No, it's about you being a cowardly liar to the people you claim to care for," Addilyn scoffed.

"Excuse me?" Harrison asked. "Did you just call me a cowardly liar?"

"Yes, because you are one. This situation is no different than when you took off for four months to do your training after you joined the army. Something else you didn't tell us about until AFTER you did it because didn't care what anyone else though. You just did what you wanted to do, as I said!" Addilyn raised her voice a little.

"Oh, come off it, Addy. I was eighteen, an adult. I don't need to tell people what I'm doing. I wanted to join so I did. What is your fucking problem, huh? Let's hear it. This has nothing to do with my joining the military. You tell me I'm a coward, but you won't even come out and say what has you so ticked off about all this. If I recall, you all told me you supported my decision," Harrison glared.

"You are my problem! All week we've been trying to hang out and talk to you, but you're not here! You're still in Kuwait with your new friends and that girl because that's where you rather be!" Addilyn returned the glare back to him.

"That's what this is about," Harrison said quietly. "Wow, Addilyn. Really? That's what has you so upset? You don't care that I've been talking to my friends in Kuwait or that I joined the army. You care that I'm not single anymore. You don't like that I have a girlfriend now," he added as Addilyn flinched a little.

"It has nothing to do with that," Addilyn defended quickly.

"Yeah, right. You're jealous, and you know it. As soon as you referred to Bri as 'that girl' I knew what this was about. You tell me I'm a coward and you can't even be honest. Some friend you are," Harrison retorted. In a matter of seconds, Addilyn approached him with tears threatening to fall from her eyes, and she smacked Harrison across the face hard. No one moved or talked as Harrison looked back at Addilyn slowly, shocked that she slapped him.

"How dare you you say 'some friend I am' when you led me on after I poured my feelings for you out before you left for Kuwait. I told you how much I liked you, that I wanted to be with you and you said you didn't know how you felt about me and that we'd talk when you got back. Yet here you are four months later with a girlfriend that you had no intention of mentioning!" Addilyn yelled at him.

"I didn't lead you on! I said I had to think about things because you can't expect me to figure out if I return your feelings the night before I leave for my deployment!" Harrison scolded back.

"You've been with this girl for two weeks and have said nothing to me about not returning your feelings. For Odin's sake, you're telling Briana you love her. I wouldn't have cared if you didn't like me back, but you could have said something to me, Harrison! You could have said it anytime, so I wasn't sitting around and hoping you cared about me," Addilyn argued.

Harrison was going to yell back, but he couldn't. Addilyn was right, Harrison should have told her from the beginning that he didn't like her back. "I'm sorry okay. As I said, Bri and I weren't sure if things were gonna work out in the start," he finally said.

"Keep telling yourself that, Harrison and maybe it will start being true. The fact is, you knew I had feelings for you and you didn't care. I've been sitting, waiting, hoping for any answer from you and nothing was known until today when I decided that I had enough of you being so secretive! You're a coward! You don't tell anyone anything until you've already gotten into it because you're scared to get judged on your choices! What makes us judge you is the fact you keep it hidden until it comes out!" Addilyn raged, and then she calmed down a little.

"But whatever right? As long as Harrison is happy, it doesn't matter what he does or who it affects. Thanks for finally letting me know about your feelings, I guess. Now, if you don't mind, I'm gonna go. There's no point being here, and there's zero reason that you and I should continue to be in one another's lives because it's painfully clear that you have new friends you rather be with than us. I know now that I don't have a place in your life anymore. I hope you have a good life, Harrison. Goodbye," Addilyn said as she briskly walked past Spencer and Viviana while trying to hide her tears, exiting the house and getting to her car, then driving off out of sight.

Harrison didn't know what to say or even do. Addilyn stopped being his friend just now, and all he could wonder was if she was right about him. Did his choices affect so many others and hurt them? Finally, Frankie, Regina, and TJ got up as well.

"What Addilyn was trying to go for was that you were afraid to get judged because of your decisions, Harrison. We've been your best friends since 5th grade, and you didn't trust us enough to tell us the things you planned to do. Not with joining the army, or this now with having a girlfriend," Frankie said lightly.

"Yeah. We just want you to be happy and honest with us, but you didn't," TJ added in.

"And you hurt Addy the most," Regina frowned. "See you around I guess. Let us know when you get back,"

"Guys...I-I am back. I'm standing right here," Harrison tried.

"What my sister means is for you to let us know when you're ready to be our friend again. You might be standing there, Harrison, but you aren't here with us. You're still in Kuwait, just like Addy said," TJ interjected. At that, the three of them left. Harrison looked at his parents; the shock on their faces had faded to disappointment.

"Am I going to hear it from you too?" Harrison asked.

"You broke your promise to us, Harrison," Viviana started. "You swore after we learned of you joining the army to keep us in the loop and updated."

"What happened to you? You are not the same person you were two years ago at seventeen," Spencer said next.

"Addilyn was right. You've lied to all of us, didn't tell us the truth in fear of being judged. I-I don't know who you are anymore, but you aren't the boy I raised," Vivian said sadly as she walked away.

"Your friends or ex-friends now, not sure what to call it, are right. You're still in Kuwait, that's where all your new friends are, and it seems that you care for them more than your own family here. I'm going to calm your mother down. In the mean time, maybe you should take a walk or think about things," Spencer said slowly. "Or better yet, maybe you should go back to them. It seems they need you more than we've missed you,"

Harrison couldn't believe this. Addilyn, Frankie, TJ, Regina, even his parents were against him, and he didn't know how to feel about it. Honestly, in a matter of fifteen minutes, Harrison felt like he just lost everything he cared about and it...hurt him pretty badly. Sure, he was wrong for not telling them right away about Briana, but to stop being his friend and say he wasn't himself anymore?

"Big brother? Are you okay?" Nate inquired.

"No. No, I'm not, Nate," Harrison admitted as he made his way towards the stairs. Harrison didn't know what to do, but right now it felt like no one wanted him here anymore. His now ex-friends had left, and his parents were saying they didn't know him anymore and he wasn't himself. Yeah, he was in the wrong. Harrison shouldn't have spent so much time on his phone but he didn't want Briana to think he wasn't thinking about her; he'd never had a girlfriend before. Harrison apologized to them for not speaking up sooner and this felt extreme. Everyone abandoned him, except Nate No one gave him a chance to talk, they all walked away and his father even said he should go back so why should he stick around longer? Harrison made his decision; he was going to go back to Kuwait.


	21. Leave Him Alone

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; HarrisonXBriana_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! Also, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character; Ella(Eira) Solveig. She belongs to my good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

 **=Author's Note;** _Look, I know some people aren't happy about the pairing change to HiccupXBriana over the original HiccupXAstrid one, but it was a last minute change that a lot of others are happy I decided to do because I always do Hiccup X Astrid or Hiccup X Toothless. So if we could not send reviews or messages complaining about it, that would be awesome. Thanks in advanced! -Nightstar Fury_

21) Leave Him Alone

 _{Harrison's POV}_

 **[4/19/2015-4:05 pm-Haddock Household]**

If it made me a coward or whatever Addilyn referred to me as then whatever. I didn't care anymore. All I gathered out of this fight is that I'm in the wrong for not telling everyone about Briana right away, that I let my new relationship get between my family, friends, and myself. I knew it was messed up; I just didn't want Bri to think I wasn't there for her when she was sick since I'm so far away. Here I am, only home for another four days and I spent the first three on my phone a lot and talking to everyone in Kuwait because they wanted to know how things were at home, mainly Dex and Sy wanted to know. I wasn't going to ignore them. That's why I didn't understand why everyone was so upset with me.

Monday was the only day that everyone was home and I spent the entire thing with them. Tuesday I spend at Berkys and with my little brother. But today when my friends came over today, I was only distracted because Briana is sick and I knew my team was going on a dangerous mission without me. I got scared and immature about things, I admit to that, but they all walked away from me. Hell, I wasn't even mad at Addilyn about the reading my messages thing after getting off the phone with Bri, I asked if they wanted to hang out still and then it turned into all this. My parents were upset with me too, and Dad even said for me just to go back to Kuwait, so why shouldn't I?

Did I want to leave? No. I wanted to fix things with everyone. I know Addilyn won't talk to me anymore because, for her, this wasn't about my talking to the others on my phone. Addy just hated that I didn't tell her I had a girlfriend and probably also that I didn't return her feelings for me. What else can I do to fix that with Addy? There was nothing at all; I can't help how I feel. Was I in the wrong for that too? Right now, Nate was the only one in my corner, thinking I didn't do anything that deemed everyone abandoning me. I couldn't fix things with any of them; it was too tense. None of them were going to listen, it would be more fighting, and I didn't want that so it was better if I just left and maybe after the tour and business in the US was over, I could come back and talk to them.

Upstairs in my room now, I was packing my things up after having changed into my ACU. When I got finished at 4:20 pm, I exited my room after locking the door from the inside, I had a key to it, so I wasn't worried. I held my bag over my shoulder as I saw Nate sitting on the couch on his phone, playing with some application; he glanced at me. Seeing me dressed the way I was, he got scared and rushed over to me quickly.

"Where are you going, Harry?" Nate asked as I hugged him back.

"I don't think anyone wants me around right now, kiddo. Dad told me to go back to Kuwait so, that's where I am going," I replied.

"No! You can't leave, this is your only time off, and you've only been home three days," Nate protested as tears formed in his eyes.

"Nate, I know it's hard to understand, but I messed up big time. I promised Mom and Dad plus the others that I wouldn't keep secrets anymore and I broke it by not telling them about Briana being my girlfriend. I was stupid and got caught up in my relationship; I let it decide everything I did because I don't want to lose her. Now everyone has walked away from me because they think I don't want to be here, that I don't care about them," I tried to explain.

"S-So tell them you do care! It was just a mistake, and they'll get over it, Harry. I understand, you have your first girlfriend and don't wanna mess that up, and she's sick too. I don't blame you for being worried about it. And your friends are there too without their leader. Mom, Dad, and your other friends should understand how stressful that is for you. Don't go, please? I just got you back, big brother, don't leave me again. Screw them; I want you here," Nate whispered.

"Nate, don't talk like that. Everyone is mad at me right now, and it's just easier if I leave so everyone can calm down. If I try to talk to them after all that, it will be more fighting because they're right. I'm a coward for not trusting them not to judge me if I told them the truth and they have every right they did to walk out on me. It's better if I go and then we can all talk about things when I get back," I told him.

"B-But!" Nate began.

"Listen to me, little brother. I wish for nothing more than to stay here, but you saw the fight and heard what was said. I've let them down, and it's just best if I go for now. My team could use the extra hands and dragon anyway. I know it doesn't seem fair, but most often in life, things aren't fair. You know how Mom is the head honcho at the school and Dad is the police chief, so we always have to be on our best behaviors at public events with them because we're expected to be a certain way?" Harrison said.

"Yeah. We always have to be so perfect," Nate smiled a little and rolled his eyes.

"Well, unfortunately, no one is perfect, and every human can make mistakes. When that happens, people who try their best to be perfect look down on someone who isn't. Others get hurt or disappointed in you and sometimes it's better to walk away for things to cool off. I know you don't want me to go back, but right now, everyone besides you is looking down on me, disappointed and hurt by my mistake. It's too heated and tense for me to try and talk to them and I don't want to fight more and lose them for good. Sometimes time apart can make people think about things and end up making them stronger. Either way, I think that for me, it's just best that I leave," Harrison explained.

"Wi-Will you still call and talk to me?" Nate asked with a few sniffles and wiping his eyes.

I smiled at him, "Of course, buddy. I'll message you on Skype when I get there, okay? I should go before it gets too late. As it is, I probably won't land there until around 6 am or later depending on weather and how many breaks Toothless and I take," I informed.

"Be safe flying in, Harry. I'm gonna miss you," Nate said. I hugged him tightly, and he returned it. I stepped back after kissing his forehead with a smile and held out my hand. Nate grasped it and smiled back. "Side by side or miles apart," Nate started.

"We'll always be brother connected by the heart," I finished the sentence, it was something we'd always done since Nate was about five. A way for him to know that no matter what I did or where I went, I would always be with him. I released his hand and ruffled his hair as I reached the backyard and grabbed a small bucket of fish, then saddled Toothless. "Come on, bud," I told him. Toothless got up, and I hooked the fish to his saddle while climbing on his back and looking back at Nathaniel who was trying not to cry again. "After the tour ends, I will be back in January 2016. That's when the platoon leaves the US. See you soon, kiddo," I said as Nate nodded. I patted Toothless's neck, and he took to the sky silently at top speed.

 _{Normal POV}_

 **[5:30 pm-Haddock House]**

Nate was sitting on the couch when there was a knock on the door, so Nate got up to answer it, and after opening it wide, he saw Harrison's friends there, even Addilyn. At this time, Spencer and Viviana returned to the living room as well. Nate was glad they showed up because he had words for them to hear about how they made Harrison feel. Little did Harrison know, Nate had been playing with the recording app on his phone when Harrison left. Nate left it on and recorded everything Harrison said about why he was leaving for Kuwait again.

"What do you want? Came back to make my brother feel worse?" Nate retorted angrily. It was their fault he left again because Harrison knew he made a mistake and no one gave him a chance to explain.

"I came back to apologize to him; I shouldn't have slapped him no matter how upset I was," Addilyn sighed. "But he was still in the wrong for lying to us,"

"And we shouldn't have walked out on him either and said the things we did," Regina mentioned afterward. Nate scoffed as his parents were beside him too and Nate stepped away from all of them.

"Where is he?" Frankie wondered.

"With how fast Toothless took off from here, I'd say that Harrison is probably in Denmark by now," Nate stated casually as he sat on the couch once more.

"What do you mean, Nathaniel? Why would Harrison go there?" Viviana inquired.

"Because he's going back to Kuwait," Nate informed coldly. At those words, everyone froze.

"What?!" Viviana screeched. "W-Why would he do that!? Spencer, call him, make him come back!"

"It's no use calling him. Harrison turns his phone off while he's flying. He left because you all walked away from him when he made a mistake and because Dad told him that maybe he should just go back to Kuwait since his friends there need him more than we do," Nate remarked.

"Spencer? You told him to go back there after the argument?" Viviana asked, shocked to learn of such.

"I-I didn't think he would do it! Everyone was tense, I said it in the heat of the moment," Spencer admitted. Finally, Nate got off the couch and glared at them.

"Yeah! You made a mistake because you weren't thinking! Harrison said he was sorry for not telling anyone about having a girlfriend and he stated that he knew he was wrong to get so wrapped up in having one that he put her before his family and friends. Harrison knows he messed up and got scared, but you all made him feel horrible and didn't give him a chance to explain it as he did to me before he left. You didn't listen to him, I did, and that's why I know he's going back to Kuwait. Harrison told me he felt like it was pointless to stay when everyone was made and wouldn't let him talk, so he's going back there and says maybe you'll all forgive him and want to speak when he returns from the US," Nate yelled.

The others bit back. Sure, they were mad at Harrison for lying to them, but now they realized that Harrison knew he made a mistake and felt horrible about it. When everyone walked away, Harrison felt like they didn't care anymore, so he decided to leave too.

"The worst part about all this is that Harrison never promised to keep you in the loop when he came home from training. He pledged to tell you what he could, and Harrison said that he didn't say anything about Briana because they didn't know how things were going to go at the start. All he did was make one mistake, and you acted like he tried to kill someone," Nate huffed.

"Nate, you don't understand what is going on. Don't catch an attitude with your mother and me," Spencer sighed. Nate glared as he got his phone out and brought up the recording between him and Harrison that he saved.

"Oh yeah? Well, then maybe you'll believe me if you hear it from him yourself," Nate retorted coldly as he hit play and tossed the phone to his father. After that, they all listened to the conversation about Harrison explaining things to Nate and saying it was best if he left for now. When the recording was over, Nate took his phone back and stepped away from the small group. "I was intentionally trying to record him either; I just happened to leave it on by accident. He went back because he feels like no matter what he does right now here, it won't make a difference because you're all ticked off at him. And now I won't see him again until after he comes home from the US in January," Nate frowned as he ran past them up the stairs and left the group down there and then knowing that it was too late to change anything.

 **[Kuwait, Iraq-Camp Arifjan; 4/20/2015-9:30 am]**

Harrison finally reached Camp Arifjan after a full night of flying. Just like the first time, Harrison and Toothless stopped in Romania and Turkey as their resting points and to get a little rest before bolting through the night sky again. With it now being 9:30 am on Iraq time, Harrison just flew over the camp and landed by the stables, taking his friends and commanding officers by surprise. Toothless touched ground as Harrison got off his back and rubbed the top of his head.

"Thanks, Toothless. Go get some rest, pal," Harrison whispered as Toothless licked his cheek and Harrison removed the saddle from his back and tucked it under his arm. Toothless got into the stable and laid down after Harrison put up the seat and got his draconic friend some fish to eat.

"Haddock. What are you doing back three days ahead of schedule?" Aaron inquired firmly.

"With all do your respect, Major Hagebak, it's a personal matter that I don't wish to discuss right now. I flew all night and just want to get a shower and some sleep. If that's okay?" Harrison said softly. Aaron was going to push more, but Glenn stopped him from continuing with a hand on his shoulder.

"That's fine, lad. Go on now," Glenn smiled. Harrison nodded and went to the barrack.

"Glenn, I want to know what happened to make him come back early and with no warning either," Aaron said.

"You heard him, Aaron. Harrison doesn't want to talk about it right now. He flew all night; he's probably tired. Let the boy rest up, and maybe, later on, he'll tell us what happened. For now, I think it's best if we all leave him alone," Glenn informed. Sighing because he didn't have much choice, Aaron nodded to Glenn. All they could do right now was leave Harrison alone and hope he talked to them after he got some sleep.


	22. Missing In Action

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; HarrisonXBriana_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! Also, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character; Ella(Eira) Solveig. She belongs to my good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

22) Missing In Action

 _{Harrison's POV}_

 **[4/20/2015-Camp Arifjan D Barrack-10:45 am]**

I knew upon making my choice to return to Kuwait early that I would get asked why I was back and honestly, I didn't want to talk when Aaron inquired why I was there three days earlier than scheduled. I said the best thing I could; that it was personal and I didn't want to talk about it at the moment. I was tired; I'd been flying all night with Toothless. I decided on getting a shower, then returning to my barrack room and getting some sleep. In the shower, I had a lot of time to think about things. Addilyn and the others were right about me; I was a complete coward. Leaving the way I did only make what they all said about me right.

I was called a coward for being afraid they would judge me about Briana being my girlfriend. Addilyn's hatred was more centered on the fact she had feelings for me and had been waiting on my response if I liked her back or not. It was true that I didn't, but I had been home for three days and could have said something right away about not returning her feelings for me. Also, they were all correct about calling me a liar; I did say last October upon coming home from training that I wouldn't keep them out of the loop anymore and getting a girlfriend was grounds for an update on things.

What made me more cowardly than anything else was running away. I know Dad only said 'go back to Kuwait' in the heat of a tense moment where I'd disappointed everyone. I reacted immaturely to the whole situation. Addilyn walked out on me, not the others. Frankie, Regina, and TJ just said to let them know when I was back since my body was in Berkville, but my attention and mind were still in Kuwait. They were right; I wasn't all there when I should have been. Gods, I was such an idiot. Nineteen-years-old and in the army but can't be mature enough to tell my family and friends that I have a girlfriend because I was afraid to be judged and didn't trust them not to do such a thing.

I should have known better than to assume they would do something like that. I ran away like a scaredy cat after everyone said their piece about being disappointed in me. What was worse about this; I didn't want to face them anytime soon because of what I'd done. After my shower, I grabbed the leftover grinder I had and ate that because I was hungry and then I laid down and let sleep take me.

 _{Normal POV}_

 **[7 pm-Mess Hall]**

"Is it bad that I'm worried about him?" asked Syrus out of nowhere during dinner with the others.

"We all are, Sy. Harrison wasn't due back from leave until Sunday night, and now he's here and admitted to not wanting to talk about what happened," Olivia mentioned softly. Harrison had been sleeping since about 11 am and hadn't left the barrack at all, so his team was wondering if he was all right or not.

"Well, maybe he'll talk to us tomorrow or something. Harrison mentioned flying all night, so he's gonna be exhausted," Trevor pointed out.

"Are you talking about Harrison?" came Briana's voice.

"Yeah, we are. And glad you're feeling better finally," Chelsea smiled.

"Have you heard from him at all? The last time I talked to him was yesterday afternoon when he had Ella and Stephanie bring me to the TMC," Briana replied.

"You don't know yet?" Dexter blinked.

"Know what?" Skye wondered.

"Harrison is back here, he flew in this morning around 9:30 am," Syrus informed.

"What?" Briana asked, a little surprised at the information. "Why didn't he tell me? Is he alright?"

"Sadly, we don't know if he is or isn't, Bri. Harrison showed up on Toothless, and when Major Hagebak asked what he was doing back so early, Harrison said it was personal, and he didn't want to talk about it. Last we know, he took a shower and had been sleeping in the barrack since." Trevor answered. Briana frowned, she didn't like wondering if Harrison was okay or not. It wasn't like him not to tell her or anyone else what was going on.

"Lieutenant Belmore said to leave him alone for the rest of the day, and maybe tomorrow he'd talk to us," Olivia informed. Briana nodded to her as she began eating her food, thinking about Harrison.

[Friday, 4/21/2015-Mess Hall-8:00 am]

Harrison slept all night, and with it now being the next morning, the friends were in the mess hall for breakfast, wondering if Harrison was going to join them or not since Trevor reported that Harrison was still knocked out when he left the barrack half an hour ago. However, much to their surprise, Harrison walked in at 8:15 am.

"Harrison, you're awake. Thank Thor, we were starting to get worried about you," Chelsea stated first.

"Sorry. It was a long flight back, and I just wanted to sleep," Harrison replied.

"Not that I'm not thrilled to see you, babe, but what are you doing here. Your leave wasn't over until Sunday?" Briana said first, wanting answers to know if Harrison was okay. Harrison sighed as she sat down now, as expected, Glenn and Aaron made their way over too.

"Morning, lad," Glenn greeted.

"Morning, Lieutenant Belmore and Major Hagebak," Harrison said softly.

"In a better mood to tell me why you're back?" Aaron asked.

"There was an argument at my parent's place, and I decided it was best if I just leave and return here," Harrison said calmly.

"Define fight?" Dexter wondered curiously now.

"Addilyn went snooping through my phone and found out that Briana is my girlfriend. It started a huge fight about me not telling them anything and keeping secrets. Addilyn is only upset that I don't feel the same for her as she does for me, she even slapped me," Harrison rubbed his cheek a little. "Frankie, Regina, and TJ all left after Addy did, saying to let them know when I was back. Then my parents started on me breaking a promise to keep them up to date on things, and Dad commented about just returning to Kuwait,"

"So you packed your stuff and came back here?" Glenn arched a brow.

"It was a complicated situation, Lieutenant. All of them are mad at me because they think I wanted to be here rather than home since I've been staying in contact with all of you about how things are going. My Dad said to come back here because apparently, you needed me more, and that's not how it was, but I thought with the tension so high, it was easier if I left," Harrison sighed.

"Sometimes walking away is easier than staying," Olivia mentioned.

"No, I didn't walk away, Liv. I ran away because I don't like being in the same place as them knowing I let them down. Addilyn called me a coward for not trusting them enough to tell them about Briana and me being in a relationship. I told them that I wanted to wait until I knew if things were gonna be okay with us dating while working together. I know she's upset that I don't like her back, still, I know I disappointed them and I felt like the rest of leave would just be more fighting and tension, so I grabbed Toothless and left. The only one who knows is Nate," Harrison sighed.

"Don't let it get ya down, lad. I would have tried apologizin' first and if that didn't work, then leave. But still, trying to avoid a fight was a good call too, give everyone time to cool off," Glenn shrugged.

"That's what I was hoping for, but still gonna be a while before I can apologize in person. After the tour, we're going to the US, remember?" Harrison mumbled.

"Just 'til January, help out with the dragons a bit more," Aaron informed.

"I suppose so," Harrison replied as he hugged Briana. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better today," Briana smiled lightly.

"I'm glad. I've missed you," Harrison smiled back, kissing her forehead. "This...isn't gonna be a problem, right? With us dating?" he asked looking to Glenn and Aaron.

"Nah, it shouldn't be. Just as long as you two are doing your work and keep the PDA to what you just did, you're fine. If ya were in the same platoon, it'd be different," Aaron told him. Harrison was grateful for that news, and it meant Briana and him could stay together as long as they abided by the guidelines they had been given a moment ago. Harrison wished he could go back to Berkville and just apologize to everyone, but stupid and hasty decisions had him in Kuwait again, and now he had to stay where he was until October, then after he left the US in January, he could return home and hopefully fix things.

 **[September 12, 2015-Camp Arifjan-9:45 pm]**

 _{Harrison's POV}_

So, things weren't going great for me with my family and friends back in Berkville. I still called home to talk to Nate, Mom, and Dad, I made up with my parents and apologized to them for what happened. My parents also said they were sorry to me for saying the things they had; that it was a heated moment and they were just surprised and hurt that I didn't tell them I had a girlfriend. My parents and Nate now hoped that they would be able to meet Briana one day and I said that once we figured out how things were gonna go in a more...stabilized setting, they would get to meet her in person. Other than that, they were happy for me.

Frankie, Regina, and TJ only spoke to me on Skype, instant messaging only. Addilyn refused to talk to me, but I had assumed that from the day she said goodbye and wished that I have a good life. I know I hurt her but was it bad enough that she wouldn't even stay my friend? It hurt a little, to know that things just fell apart so easily. Regina let me know she was trying to talk to Addy about it but so far, Addilyn shut down when the subject of me came up around her. I also had this sneaking suspicion that Frankie and the twins were just telling me what I wanted to hear and that they still hadn't forgiven me. I assumed that maybe an in person apology might make it more genuine that I was sorry. However, I had to wait to do that until January.

I did inform everyone that I would be back in January 2016, wasn't sure of the day just yet but it would be after the New Year started and before my birthday. Tonight, I was getting ready to get some sleep. I had just gotten off the phone with my parents and Nate, I took a shower earlier, and I would need the rest because I had a six-hour patrol at 9 am tomorrow morning. Briana was doing a contact mission with Skye, Andy, and another three from her unit. I think their names were Jason Tarelto, Darryl Lennox, and Steven Ritka. I was almost positive that Andy and Steven were battle buddies, as were Jason and Darryl, then Skye and Briana were a set too.

Briana's team was due back for 10:30 pm, so I was trying to stay awake to welcome her back. "How's your family doing?" Trevor inquired from on his bed.

"They're good, miss me a lot," I replied with a smile.

"Well, Hagebak said that maybe we'd get a week between the tour ended and have to return to the US," Trevor informed.

"That would be nice since I kind'a fucked up my leave time with my immature decisions," I sighed.

"Don't beat yourself up, Harrison. It happens to everyone. You're only nineteen, dude, and it's not easy to tell your parents and friends that you met a girl from another country who you're madly in love with," Trevor teased.

"Still, I should have told them I at least met someone, even if I didn't mention names," I remarked.

"It's in the past now; you can't worry about it anymore. What's done is done, and if you ask me, that Addy girl shouldn't have given you such a hard time. Sure, she liked you, but that does not obligate you to like her back," Trevor reminded.

"But I did say before I left for Kuwait that I would try and figure things out if I returned her feelings," I stated.

"Well, she shouldn't have gone through your phone," Trevor shrugged.

"True that. And they never found out from her about Briana, Addy started to say it, but I said the words. So I did technically tell them myself," I replied.

"See, you did tell them, even if you were cornered and had no choice," Trevor smiled.

"Not helping, Trev," I arched a brow.

"You get my meaning, man. You told them about having a girlfriend, and they blew it out of proportion just like you did with leaving under the impression they didn't want you there anymore. Both sides were wrong, and it's behind everyone now. Your parents forgave you, and I'm sure those other three will too when you see them face to face. Addy, well, I don't know about her, but I think she'll come around eventually," Trevor informed.

"Yeah, I suppose so. Thanks, Trev," I smiled, and he gave me a thumbs up. Suddenly, we heard a lot of noise outside the barrack and got curious. A horn blew, Trevor and I moved to the window to see that Briana's group was returning. I slipped on my boots and hurried to the door, then outside. As I got there, I saw Briana's group and searched for her, but I didn't see her and got this sickeningly nervous feeling in my stomach. I saw Skye crying and the others looking down, dragging their feet to their barrack. "Wh-Where's...Bri?" I hesitantly asked.

"MIA, Harrison," I froze when Andy said that. "Everything happened so fast, and by the time we looked back to make sure everyone was together, she was gone. The camp is already launching a full-scale search for her, that was the horn you heard a second ago. We told them where we were and everything that happened, the rest is up to them, and we'll keep you posted as much as we can. A soldier will stay MIA unless found alive or dead, if dead, it goes to KIA or POW if she's found being kept prisoner by those bastards," he explained.

I immediately rushed to get to Toothless, but Colonel Dunbar stopped me. "I know what you're thinking about doing, son, and I can't let you. Briana is one of ours, and we have to keep to the protocols in these situations. I promise you; we're going to do everything we can to find her," I felt utterly useless! Briana could be hurt and need help, and Toothless could find her in a heartbeat with his speed, yet they weren't going to use the dragons?!

"B-But!" I started and saw Aaron approach next.

"I know it's not what you want to hear, Harrison. The Americans do things their own way. Taking the dragons into hostile territory is dangerous without a lot of planning. Every effort is being made to find her, and we'll keep you posted, lad. It's late, return to your bunk. That's an order," Aaron said softly. I shoved Colonel Dunbar's hand off my shoulder and backed away angrily. I turned heel and stomped to my room. If anything happened to her, I was going to flip out. For now, all I could do was sit back and hope they found Briana because from this moment on unless something changed, she was missing in action.


	23. She Was Safe

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; HarrisonXBriana_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! Also, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character; Ella(Eira) Solveig. She belongs to my good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

23) She Was Safe

 _{Normal POV}_

 **[Wednesday, September 30, 2015-Camp Arifjan]**

It had been two weeks since Briana went MIA. Every effort was being made by the Americans to locate her. They would not give up the search until there was proof of a change in her status such as being found dead and called KIA or she was being held captive by enemies, and that would make her a POW, in which a whole new process would begin for rescuing if they were able. Harrison despised it all; he could have found her weeks ago if they let him take Toothless in. Thor only knew if Briana was alright now; she could be hurt or dead, and no one would know because they weren't using the dragons who could track from miles away. Harrison hated getting updates because he knew it would be another, 'No luck, son, but we're not giving up.'

Harrison didn't tell anyone at home what was going on; he wasn't allowed as a security measure. Harrison was miserable and depressed, praying to the Gods she was okay and the Americans would find her soon. Currently, it was Wednesday, September 30th, 2015. The end of the tour was upon them, and Harrison refused to leave Kuwait without Briana, so if they didn't find her by the time he left, he'd risk getting discharged from the military to find her himself. Alive or not, he wouldn't leave her in Kuwait when he left. Harrison was flying through the skies and over the base on Toothless, it was something he did every day now because it was the only thing that kept his head clear from flipping out that they hadn't found Briana yet.

"How's he doing today?" asked Aaron coming up behind Trevor, Dexter, and Syrus.

"Same as always, Major Hagebak. Wakes up, showers and gets dressed, eats, doesn't say a damn word," Dexter replied.

"You know how much he cares about Briana, sir. Would it hurt to let us take a fly over the place she disappeared and let the dragons try to find her?" Trevor wondered.

"I tried to talk to Dunbar about it, but we have to remember that we're mainly here for dragon control and it's up to them to find their own. If it were one of you, yes, I'd allow it, but I can't override the base leader when it comes to the American soldiers," Aaron sighed.

"We're just worried about him, Major. If we're not on a mission, he's just sitting with Toothless, laying in bed, or flying in the air as he is now," Dexter informed.

"Give him his time; he knows the Americans are doing their best," Glenn stated coming beside them now as they looked up watching Harrison fly around doing loops and twirls before finally leveling out and Harrison just sat there a moment, staring up at the clear sky while deep in thought. Harrison hated it; he could have found Briana by now if they would just give him two hours with Toothless. Harrison didn't understand this, why wouldn't they take the chance to save their own before something bad happened. It'd been two weeks, and Harrison knew that Briana was a fighter and that she was alive; he could feel it!

 _'Come on, Bri. Give me something, anything to know you're alright,'_ Harrison prayed while laying back on Toothless's spine but his legs were still on either side while he was staring at the sky above him. Harrison missed her a lot, and he'd give anything to have her back in his arms again. Toothless jerked hard, and Harrison sat up quickly looking around. "What is it, boy?" Harrison asked. On the ground, the group noticed that Harrison and Toothless just stopped and hovered in place, looking around for something.

"Somethings wrong," Trevor pointed out.

"What do you mean?" Aaron wondered.

"Harrison and Toothless, they just stopped flying and look to be on edge," Trevor said.

"Hm, does seem that way. Haddock! Is anything the matter, lad!?" Glenn called to Harrison. Of course, Harrison didn't answer because he was focusing on Toothless's movements and actions. The bond between the two of them was incredible because Harrison and Toothless understood one another in a way no one else could imagine. When Harrison and Toothless were seen together, it was if Toothless was human because Harrison knew what he was saying. Right now, that seemed to be the case. Toothless noticed something, so Harrison was on guard too.

"Talk to me, bud," Harrison rubbed the side of his dragon's neck. Toothless growled lowly and moved his head to the left, ears twitching to listen closer. Hayden picked up the sound as it neared, whistling, a sound that Toothless made at top speed! Suddenly, Toothless darted after it. As it got close in range, Harrison could see a black dot heading right for them. Before either Toothless or Harrison could react, the blurred object revealed itself as another Night Fury and with purple eyes too! The dragon slammed into Toothless and knocked Harrison off. "TOOTHLESS!"

"HARRISON!" his friends and commanding officers yelled in fear as Harrison was heading straight for the ground.

"Dragons!" Aaron called quickly.

"Wait, look!" Chelsea pointed to the sky as the Night Fury who knocked Harrison off Toothless dove in and grabbed him by the arm, then tried to fly off with him. Toothless cut the Night Fury off and again, Harrison was heading for the ground. Toothless shot past the other dragon and snatched Harrison up, then placed him down carefully. Suddenly, the two dragons were locked in a stand off with one another on the ground.

"What is going on?" came Colonel Dunbar's voice.

"I have no idea. That purple-eyed Night Fury knocked Harrison off Toothless, and now this is happening," Aaron stated. "Haddock, a little insight?"

"I don't know, sir. All I got right is that Toothless and this female Night Fury are about to fight. I assume it's because she knocked me off him and he doesn't like when others hurt me or take me away," Harrison said.

"So wait, that's a girl Night Fury?" Syrus asked.

"Yeah. Slimmer body, purple eyes. It's gotta be," Harrison nodded.

"We don't need a dragon fight in camp, Private Haddock. Can you stop them?" Thomas inquired.

"I can give it a shot," Harrison shrugged as he faced the two Night Furies that were growling and snarling at one another. "Toothless! Hey, come on, bud. Don't do this. There are too many people around," he called to his friend. Toothless crooned, glancing at him then the female dragon and huffed. "Yes, I know she made me fall off of you. But look, I'm alright. No harm done, I'm sure she was going too fast," Harrison reasoned with his draconic friend.

Toothless stared at the female dragon before him and then when she tried to step towards his rider, Toothless snarled at her again, slamming his paw down and the female whined. "Harrison, I don't understand this. It wasn't in any training we went through." Glenn reminded.

"It wouldn't have been. Night Furies are a rare species, and originally, Toothless was the only one seen in a hundred years. Now, there were two right in front of them about to fight with one another. "Toothless, step back," Harrison ordered. Toothless growled but did as he was told. Harrison moved closer, and the female growled at him, Toothless tried to get in to protect him, but Harrison put a hand up to stop his friend.

"Hey there, girl. It's alright; I'm not going to hurt you. I'm a friend," Harrison eased into it, and the dragon stayed relaxed. "I've never seen another Night Fury before. This here is Toothless, he's my friend," Harrison tried to introduce. "I'm Harrison. It's okay, you can trust me," he put his hand closer to her. At him saying his name to her, the dragon's purple eyes widened and her demeanor changed a bit. The Night Fury moved close to Harrison and nudged him to get on her back. "Woah, Woah. Okay, easy there. What's wrong?"

"Harrison, what's going on?" Thomas asked.

"I can't be sure, but I think she wants me to follow her," Harrison said. After that, the female dragon got her head under his hand and rubbed her head there. "Is that it? You want me to follow you in that direction?" he asked when he saw the female Night Fury motioning towards one of the nearby districts that were about a twenty-minute flight away from the base. Harrison felt the female nudge him again, whining. "Toothless, ask if if she wants me to follow her there," Toothless came over and faced the female, warbling a bit, the dragon replied, and Toothless nodded to him. Making a last minute decision, Harrison jumped on Toothless's back and secured himself in place.

"Where do you think you're going?" Aaron asked.

"This Night Fury came here looking for help and wants me to follow her, so I'm going to," Harrison replied.

"Take your team with-" Glenn began, but the female dragon growled at them to stay back.

"It has to be me. Maybe it's because she knows I'm bonded to Toothless and would understand. I don't know, but it's gotta be serious if she came rushing in during daylight to get me. I'll stay in contact, give me an hour to check it out, and I'll report back and let you know what's going on," Harrison said, his eyes giving a pleading look as if to tell Glenn and Aaron 'please let me do this.'

"I don't know if him going a long is a good id-" Thomas started.

"I want a check in every fifteen minutes, Haddock. I want you back in one hour. Understand? ONE HOUR or I'm sending the team after you," Aaron stated.

Harrison nodded as he whispered to the female Night Fury, "Go, girl. Lead me in," the dragon nodded and shot into the sky then Toothless did the same after Aaron handed me his radio.

 **[Small Town Twenty Minutes Away]**

The female Night Fury led them past where Briana had last been seen. He couldn't explain it; he felt like this dragon had been looking for him. Briana was the only person he taught how to bond and did it with Toothless, another Night Fury. For this female one to arrive and want him to follow, he prayed it was Briana trying to get his attention that she was okay. The sign he had asked for. Harrison just checked in with saying they were still flying but nothing yet. Finally, the female dove down and Toothless followed after.

Upon landing in the village, Harrison looked around. Why would the female bring him here? It was one of the poorer towns, one he'd been on patrol in once or twice back when the tour first began. Either way, he still had about thirty minutes before he had to go back. The Night Fury crooned for me to keep following, so they did so. After ten minutes, Harrison had to radio in where he was and got asked why. Harrison said that the Night Fury was leading him through on foot to something so he was gonna check it out and if things got bad, he would abort and return with his findings.

Reaching the forty-five-minute mark on his time limit, Harrison sighed. "Hey, are we almost there?" he asked the dragon who nodded her head excitedly. Finally, they stopped an old house on the edge of town as Night Fury motioned for Harrison to go inside. "Guard Toothless," he ordered, and Toothless got ready. Grabbing his sidearm off his hip, Harrison pulled it back to lock a bullet ready for firing in the chamber while moving to the door. "Hello? Anyone in here?" Harrison asked.

No answer. Harrison grabbed his flashlight and put it on his wrist of the hand holding his gun; much like a police officer scoping out a suspicious building, something he learned from his father. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm a soldier, led here by a dragon. Is anyone in there, anyone hurt?" Harrison tried.

"Ha-Har...ris...on?" asked a frightened voice. Harrison's eyes widened.

"Bri?" Harrison said right away as he checked the second room in the house to see a huddled up in the corner. Platinum blonde hair and violet eyes. It was Briana! "Briana?!" he asked against kneeling before her quickly.

"I-It is you...Oh, God, you came for me! Oh, Harrison. I've been so afraid. I-I got sepa...rated from the others...and captured for a few hours before getting...away a-and-" Briana began.

"Ssh, ssh, it's okay! It's alright; I'm here now. You can tell me later. I'm so thankful you're alive. You've...been missing for two weeks. I've been...a mess without around," Harrison helped her up slowly, he saw her wince.

"I-I broke...my ankle trying to run away and have been hiding out here the last four days. I-I'm so glad that...Nightstar found you and led you here. I feared dying due to lack of medical care and food," Briana said. Harrison lifted Briana into his arms carefully as she held on to him.

"Nightstar? The female Night Fury?" Harrison asked, and Briana forced a nod as Harrison helped her out and the female Night Fury jumped around happily. "You bonded to her, didn't you? Then sent her to find me?" he inquired.

"Y-Yeah. Said to...find the boy named Harrison with a Night Fury he calls Toothless and lead them to me," Briana tried to laugh a little, but held her side.

"We have a lot of time to talk about it. Save your strength. I've got you now, babe," he added. It didn't matter, once they were safe inside Arifjan and she was taken care of they could talk more. Harrison got on Toothless's back with Briana still in his arms. "To the base, Toothless!" he called.

"Nightstar, follow," Briana told her Night Fury. After that, both dragons took to the sky after Harrison radioed in that he would need medical right away and they would be back within twenty minutes. Harrison made the call quick and stupidly forgot to mention that he found Briana. Wouldn't this be a surprise for them?

 **[Camp Arifjan-Zone Two]**

"I see him!" Glenn called out. The entire Wind Rider Platoon was out of the barracks to see Harrison return with Toothless and the female Night Fury as well. Skye, Andy, Steven, Darryl, and Jason had come out too. Not long after them was Thomas Dunbar, curious on why Harrison called in needing medical. However, when Harrison landed, they someone in his lap. Harrison got off Toothless and held Briana in his arms. "Uh, who ya got there, laddie?"

"Private First Class Briana Grayson, Lieutenant," Harrison stated in a cold voice.

"I specifically said you were not to seek her-" Thomas began.

"Hey! I didn't defy your orders, Colonel Dunbar. Now, I will be more than happy to explain how all this happened after Miss. Grayson is taken to medical to be looked over and her injuries taken care of," Harrison informed.

"I believe, Thomas, that my soldier has a point. Miss. Grayson was missing for two weeks and needs a complete check over, and I think a job well done is in order. Good work, Private Haddock," Aaron said with a nod.

"Thank you, sir," Harrison replied as he placed Briana down on the medical cot to be carried. "I'll come see you as soon as all this is cleared up on my side, Milady. I love you, and everything is going to be okay," he said gently to her. Briana smiled a little and nodded to him as Harrison kissed her deeply for a moment then stepped back as Briana was carried to the Medical Center within the camp walls. Harrison cared about nothing else; Briana was back, and she was safe.


	24. Exciting Surprise

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; HarrisonXBriana_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! Also, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character; Ella(Eira) Solveig. She belongs to my good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

24) Exciting Surprise

 _{Harrison's POV}_

 **[9/30/2015-Zone Two; Camp Arifjan-4:20 pm]**

My gut instinct to follow the female Night Fury known as Nightstar now had been correct. I got the feeling there was more to a second Night Fury showing up when Nightstar grabbed me from the sky when I fell off Toothless after being rammed into by her. Nightstar tried to carry me off in the Southwest direction of the camp, and oddly enough, I knew that Briana had gone missing that way two weeks ago. I didn't understand anything at first except that Nightstar calmed down when I said my name and Toothless's to her, then she wanted me to follow her, so I decided to do it. Something inside me said that it would be worth it, and by the Gods, it had been.

I found Briana! I hadn't even intended to do so but this Night Fury led me right to her! I had never been happier in my entire life. I learned then and there that Briana and Nightstar bonded to one another, then Briana sent Nightstar to find me for help because she couldn't move on her own. I was proud of my girlfriend for remembering what I told her about how smart Night Furies were, knowing that all they needed was a little information and a direction to fly in. However, I had to sit down with Colonel Dunbar and a few others to explain how I found her. Wouldn't this be fun? Dunbar rode my ass earlier, but Aaron got him off my back and told me good job.

So much had to go into the MIA situation now. The first thing is that Briana was no longer missing in action, she got found, and that needed to get reported to the states and her family. However, there was more to it than that. First, they needed Briana's story about what happened, but since she was being looked over for injuries and being treated; they were going to get my story of how I found her. So, here I was, standing in Zone Two near the soldier barracks, dragon stables, and bathrooms with Colonel Dunbar, Glenn, Aaron, Wind Rider Platoon, Briana's unit-I always forgot what their name was, and two Night Furies; Toothless and Nightstar. Honestly, all I wanted to do was see my girlfriend, but I knew they wouldn't let me in there right now while she was getting a complete physical done.

"Well, Mr. Haddock, we're waiting," Colonel Dunbar asked.

"Hey, keep your uniform on. I don't take orders from you; I receive them from Major Hagebak and Lieutenant Belmore. Or have you so soon forgotten that the dragons riders of Arc Isle Army are only here to provide dragon support and you don't command our position at this base," I retorted with a scowl. I get he wanted answers, but I just got back.

"Private Haddock, while I do agree with you on that matter. You rescued a missing in action soldier after being ordered not to interfere with. Both militaries have their way of doing thi-" Aaron started.

"I had no intention of disobeying your orders, Major Hagebak. I was unaware of this until AFTER I followed Nightstar to the location where I found Private Grayson, and I wasn't exactly going just to leave her behind," I informed as Aaron sighed. "As I said, I will be more than happy to explain if you would only allow me a moment to put my dragon away and Briana's, then we can move this discussion to a more secure area as most military protocols would demand to be done," I added.

"Briana's dragon?" Glenn asked.

"Nightstar, the female Night Fury. I'm afraid I don't know much about the situation regarding that, but I know a bond when I see one. Miss. Grayson told me on the flight about the bonding and a little of what occurred after the mission where she got separated from the others. For the time being, I will have Nightstar stay in the stall next to Toothless, and I wouldn't advise anyone to approach her as she's very hostile to others," I enlightened as I led Toothless toward the stable and put him inside, then removed his dragon's saddle and placed it down. "Alright, come on, Nightstar. Right here next to Toothless," I said while opening the next stall but Nightstar didn't move.

I looked at her, and she seemed afraid and looked back to the direction that Briana went with the medics, whimpering sadly. "What's wrong with her?" Thomas inquired.

"It's the bond. Nightstar knows that Briana is hurt and the instinct to protect is high. Toothless and I have it too, it's why he tried to protect me from Nightstar earlier. Dragons are fiercely loyal once bonded," I let him know as I moved closer to Nightstar. "It's okay, girl. I promise you're safe. Toothless will keep you company, and I'll check on Briana. She's okay, you saved her life by coming to get me, and everything is just fine now," I soothed Nightstar. The dragon crooned with her head down as put my hand out with the palm up. "You can trust me," I vowed.

At that moment, Nightstar pressed her nose to my palm with her eyes closed and warbled softly before licking my cheek affectionately. After that, Nightstar went into the stable I had opened up before and sat down to relax. I smiled and grabbed two small barrels of fish for Nightstar and Toothless, then exited the stables and stood before Thomas, Aaron, Glenn, then my friends. "We'll take this to my office. Aaron, Glenn, would you be good enough to join as well?" Thomas asked.

"That we will. The rest of you, resume your duties." Aaron ordered the remaining members of Wind Rider Platoon. "And mind your distance from Nightstar, was it?" he added, and I nodded to him. "Haddock is the lead trainer here, so do as he suggests and leave the Night Fury alone,"

"Yes, sir," they replied, and then I walked away with Thomas, Aaron, and Glenn. I somehow felt like this was going to be a long afternoon suddenly. I didn't care, Briana was safe, and I'd make sure nothing took her from me again. Reaching the office with the other three, I began telling them everything about where Nightstar took me, then finding Briana. Afterward, I explained that Briana got separated after a blast and taken for three days before she escaped and had been running between villages for the last week days before ending up where she was with a hurt ankle, then bonding to Nightstar who she sent to get help.

That's what Briana told me; she bonded to Nightstar then after two days, she told Nightstar to find a man named Harrison and another Night Fury with the name Toothless. Briana also mentioned which direction to fly in. That's why Nightstar wanted me to follow her because Briana sent her dragon to get me for help knowing I would understand what Nightstar wanted me to do.

"So, you followed the dragon because you knew you would find Private Grayson. You still defied my orders and your commanding officers," Thomas stated.

"Weren't you listening to a word I said? I didn't know Briana would be there. All I knew is that the female Night Fury wanted me to follow her, so I did, and I had permission from Major Hagebak to leave and figure out what was going on. I am sorry if I impeded your searching, but I wasn't leaving Bri there to die while you took your sweet ass time in finding her. I told you two weeks ago that I could find her with Toothless and look where your denying me of such got you. One of your soldiers bonded to a Night Fury and sent it to get me because Briana knew I would understand what Nightstar wanted," I retorted.

"Private Haddock is right, Thomas. No one knew what Nightstar wanted Harrison to do other than follow her and I did allow him permission to do a check. I find that it's fortunate I let him go and he was led to one of your missing soldiers by a dragon she bonded with and knew how to send a signal for help. All that aside, Miss Grayson has been returned safely to base thanks to the efforts of Mr. Haddock's quick thinking and understanding of the dragons," Aaron informed.

"I suppose in the end, that is all that matters. Thank you, Harrison. You are free to go see Briana now, as long as the medical team says you are clear to do so," Thomas enlightened. I nodded and saluted the three of them before leaving the office and taking a deep breath. Finally, I could see Briana and on the bright side of things, only two more weeks until the tour was over.

 _{Normal POV}_

 **[Two Weeks Later-10/16/2015-Arc Isle Airport; 2:35 pm]**

After all was said and done with Briana being found alive by Harrison, everything was going to be okay when they returned to the states. Harrison had been informed that his actions were to be rewarded by the American Military Headquarters and such had been agreed by the Arc Isle Army officials as well. Briana made out with hardly any long term physical injuries; the worst of them was two bruised ribs and a grade two sprain of her ankle. The doctors caring for her said that overall in a month, she would be good as new and that was two weeks ago, so two to go still.

The best news of all came yesterday afternoon over dinner at Camp Arifjan. The tour of duty was over, and the Arc Isle soldiers were going home for one week before having to report to the USA, Fort Benning once more. It had gotten revealed that they needed more help with the dragons as more were making an appearance and Harrison having Toothless along with the rest of his team would help out exponentially. At the Wind Rider Platoon was just pulled into the Arc Isle Airport at this moment. After leaving a little after 10 pm on Kuwait time, they flew all night and through the morning with a lot of stops but small layover times and were arriving home now.

However, a surprise for Harrison's family is that Briana would be getting off the plane with her boyfriend and getting to meet his family when they got to bag claim/passenger pickup. It had been Briana's desire not to be away from Harrison as he was helping her settle with the ordeal she went through. Briana got plagued by some nightmares of her capture but nothing that Harrison couldn't handle with a few soothing words and talking her through it, reminding her she was safe now; that how Briana explained it too, she felt safe with Harrison and didn't want to lose that feeling. So, Briana didn't return with her company, she left with Harrison's platoon for Arc Isle and would stay with him until the week was over when the platoon would return the US to carry out their duties.

 **[Passenger Pickup/Baggage Claim]**

"I'm so glad that their back!" Nate exclaimed jumping up and down holding the sign that said 'Welcome Home Harrison, Dexter, and Syrus.' Harrison had called them as soon as he got the news about being allowed to come home. Of course, he didn't tell them about Briana coming too because Bri made a choice last minute to want to go with him.

"We all are, son," Spencer smiled standing beside Viviana. Along with his family, his friends had come too. Even Addilyn. True that she was still pissed at him, she would apologize for slapping Harrison and admit that it was wrong of her to fly off the handle, but he was still wrong for not being honest about things. However, Addy was going to excuse herself from being around him for a while so she could get over him knowing that there was no chance she would get to be with Harrison.

The group gathered around saw soldiers making their way down the escalator and families began to cheer and clap for the return. "There they are!" Hailey said happily seeing Dexter, Trevor, and Syrus making their way down, then after them, it was Olivia, Chelsea, Ella, and Stephanie. Everyone was getting to their families in a frenzy of tears and hugs for the reunion.

"Big brother!" Hailey jumped at Dexter quickly and hugged him tightly.

"Syrus!, Oh, welcome home, my boy!" Shawn Jorgenson announced as he and his wife, April pulled Syrus into a hug.

"Good to be back, Dad," Syrus smiled.

"Where's Harrison?" Viviana wondered as Dexter walked over with Hailey.

"Right here, Mom," Harrison called with a smile as he stepped off the escalator and went over to greet his parents and little brother.

"I'm so glad you're here, and we get to see you for a week," Nate hugged Harrison tightly.

"Me too, kiddo. Hey guys," Harrison waved to Frankie, Regina, and TJ. His eyes fell on Addilyn and became a little confused. "Uh, hi, Addilyn," he said.

"Hello, Harrison. Welcome home," Addilyn gave a light smile.

"Harrison, a little help?" came a female's voice. Harrison looked back and saw Briana coming down the stairs carefully.

"I told you to wait for the elevator," Harrison chuckled as he moved half up the stairs and picked her up in his arms bridal style, then carried her down.

"Who is your friend dear, is she hurt?" Viviana wondered as airport staff rushed over a wheelchair and Harrison eased her into it.

"Sprained ankle and two bruised ribs. I told her to stay at the top and wait for the elevator because she only has two weeks left to go before she's completely healed and we don't need anything else happening," Harrison chuckled.

"So, who is she?" Addilyn asked.

"Mom, Dad, Nate, gang, I'd like to introduce you to my girlfriend, Briana Grayson," Harrison stated proudly as Briana smiled and waved at them. The friends and family were shocked, Harrison brought his girlfriend to Arc Isle with him for them to meet her. This was surely an unexpected, but exciting surprise.


	25. Healed Wounds

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; HarrisonXBriana_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! Also, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character; Ella(Eira) Solveig. She belongs to my good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

25) Healed Wounds

Harrison's family and his friends were shocked yet exciting too. Initially, they didn't know if they'd ever get to meet the famous Briana who stole Harrison's heart back in August before he came home on his week long leave. Harrison informed Frankie, Regina, TJ, his little brother and parents that Briana was from the USA and lived close to Fort Benning so the group wondered if they would get to meet this woman and here she was, with Harrison on Arc Isle. Sure, there were tons of questions, but they could wait until later after they left the airport. Nate decided to step forward first with a broad smile.

"Hi! I'm Nathaniel Haddock, Harrison's kid brother and everyone calls me Nate," he introduced as he took Briana's hand and kissed the back of it.

"Oh, he's so sweet. Harrison has told me so much about you," Briana greeted. "It's a pleasure," she added as Harrison ruffled Nate's hair a little.

"Good work, buddy," Harrison told him as Nate stayed beside his elder brother and looked at his parents, saying for them silently to be friendly because they didn't want to upset Harrison by not taking to his girlfriend.

"The pleasure is all ours, Briana. I'm Spencer Haddock, Harrison's father and this is my wife, Viviana. We're so pleased to finally met you," Spencer smiled as he shook Briana's hand, then Vivian carefully hugged her.

"Babe, over here are my friends that I've had since middle school. Frankie Ingerman, Regina and TJ Thorston," Harrison paused as he reached Addilyn, not sure what to call her. Addy turned out to welcome him and the others home, and she spoke to him as well, so what harm would be in introducing her to Briana. "And this is Addilyn Hofferson," he finished.

"I'm so happy to meet all of you. Harrison has told me so many stories of your friendship," Briana informed gently.

"Sounds like Harrison, always bragging about his amazing friends," TJ chuckled, and Harrison laughed too.

"Well," Viviana clapped her hands together. "Think this is as good a time as any for us grab bags and head home. Is Briana staying with us for the week, Harrison?" she inquired.

"Yeah, if that's cool with both of you? We're only here until Sunday of next week; I think it's the 25th. And you said your parents are away right now, right babe? Harrison asked.

"Yeah, Dad is at Fort Benning because he transferred there for work and Mom had to go to some convention for the hospital. I think my brother Alexander is watching himself and Jasmine for the week with the watchful eye of our next door neighbor," Briana replied. "They'll be back on Friday the 23rd though, right before we arrive," she added.

"Where will she sleep, son?" Spencer wondered. "Hailey has the guest room, and Dexter has the old office," he reminded.

"Harrison, don't worry about that. Remember what said over the layover? I'm getting an apartment for Hailey and me; she's gonna take care of it while we're in the US and I'm gonna send her the money for rent and some of the bills," Dexter smiled.

"Yeah, and we're going tonight. I packed all my stuff earlier, and there should be a moving truck at your parent's house when we get there. Dexter put all our stuff from the old apartment into storage, and we got a couple of old pals helping us move everything in. Briana can take the guest room after I leave it," Hailey interjected with a nod.

"I suppose that takes care of that then," Viviana said. "Are we ready to head home then?" she inquired.

"Not just yet, Mrs. Haddock," came Aaron's voice as he approached with a smile. "I apologize for holding you up. You must be Harrison's parents. I'm Major Aaron Hagebak, leader of the Sky Striker Company. This is Lieutenant Glenn Belmore, heading the Wind Rider Platoon," he introduced.

"Pleasure to meet you, sir," Spencer shook his hand. "Why aren't we able to leave?" he inquired.

"Ah, yes! I stopped you because your son here is getting promoted and I thought you being his family and friends might like to bear witness to it," Aaron smiled.

"Oh, of course! Let me get my camera," Viviana exclaimed, and Nate only got his phone out. When Vivian had the camera from her purse, they stepped back a little as Harrison faced Aaron and Glenn while standing at 'Parade Rest.' The Wind Rider Platoon had not yet left either, all of them wanted to stay and watch this moment.

"Now, Mr. Haddock here is to be promoted to his next rank for his courageous actions performed overseas two weeks ago. On September the 12th, a soldier went MIA or Missing In Action from the American group we worked closely with. This soldier was separated from their unit on a mission, and through many searches, they could not be found until two weeks ago when Harrison Haddock trusted and followed his instincts. His actions found, rescued, and saved the life of that soldier," Aaron informed.

"What happened? Unless we aren't allowed to know?" Frankie wondered.

"I felt it might be better coming from the hero himself," Aaron mentioned while moving back a little.

"Major, I'm not a hero. I did what anyone would do," Harrison sighed. "And I'll tell them later. Kind'a tired right now and wanna get home,"

"But no one else did what you did, lad," Glenn smiled.

"What? Defy orders on a whim?" Harrison arched a brow. "That's what Dunbar said anyway,"

Glenn smacked him upside the head hard, and Harrison rubbed the spot. "Don't you listen to that ungrateful fool,"

"What Lieutenant Belmore is saying, Harrison is that if you hadn't acted when you did to see more than what we did. That soldier might not have survived, and a family now would be mourning that loss. We call you a hero, and so does that soldier," Aaron stated firmly. "Either way, I won't keep ya long. So without further ado," he paused a moment while pulling something out of his pocket.

"Harrison Haddock, it is my esteemed pleasure to promote you to the rank of Specialist for your outstanding dragon training abilities, leadership, and heroism overseas. Congratulations," Aaron announced as he took off the patch on Harrison's ACU coat sleeve and put in its place the rank badge for 'Sergeant.'

"Thank you, Major Hagebak," Harrison said. Aaron saluted him, and Harrison returned it before shaking his and Glenn's hands, then faced his family and friends. "Let's go home," Harrison said as they went over to the bag carousel and he got his and Briana's bags, then they all exited the airport terminal and waited for their dragons. Toothless and Nightstar were laying together, her head on Toothless's paws and his head on her neck. "Come on boy," Toothless stood up with a yawn after Nightstar moved.

"Woah! Another Night Fury!?" the group gasped.

"Yes, and she's bonded to Briana. Call her to follow us, babe," Harrison instructed.

"Let's go, girl," Briana said to Nightstar who followed obediently. When they were all in the parking lot, Harrison put his and Briana's bags into his mother's van and then he got on Toothless as Dexter and Syrus helped Briana into Harrison's arms.

"I'll fly Toothless home and have Nightstar follow us. Meet you there," Harrison called as Toothless bolted into the sky and Nightstar copied the action.

 **[Haddock Residence-4:15 pm]**

Everyone was over, except for Syrus since he went home with his family. Harrison and Briana reached the house first by 3:25 pm, then the others arrived after having been stuck in traffic much longer than they wanted to be. As everyone came inside before all the celebrations started, Harrison helped Dexter and Hailey move her things to the truck waiting outside to go to the new apartment along with their dragons; Strikebolt, Dexter's Skrill and Windshead, Hailey's dragon.

Harrison learned that his friends all bonded with dragons too. It happened during just before they graduated High School and he didn't hear about it until all the paperwork was completed during the summer before he came home for leave. Harrison did get to meet the dragons before the big fight happened. Hailey bonded to a female Razorwhip that she called Windshear. Regina and TJ were sharing a male Zippleback and had each named a head. Regina went with Barf for the right side, and TJ took the left head and called it Belch. Frankie bonded with a female Gronckle called Meatlug, and finally, Addilyn and a Deadly Nadder were the best of friends after bonding, and the dragon's name was Stormfly. All of them now had their training and flier licenses too.

Harrison knew what needed to happen before the rest of this week continued. Harrison needed to apologize to his friends and family in person for the way he behaved the last time he was home. Now that Dexter and Hailey had left to set up their new apartment, Harrison knew it was time.

"Well, I'm going to start dinner," Viviana announced happily. "I'll make your favorite, Harrison," she added. This was Harrison's chance while everyone was all in the same room.

"Thanks, Mom, but can you hold off on it for like five minutes? I got something I want to say to everyone while we're all together," Harrison stated.

"Alright, go ahead, son. We're all ears," Spencer invited. Harrison took a deep breath and moved, so he was facing everyone.

"I wanted to apologize for the way I acted two months ago." Harrison began. "When I had started dating Briana; we didn't know if our commanding officers were going to let it continue since we only got together a week before I came back. I didn't want to say anything until I knew we weren't going to have to break it off. I've never been in a relationship before, it was new to me, and I acted immaturely and rudely to all of you when you wanted to spend time with me, and I was always on my phone," he paused a moment.

"See, over the first three months there, one of the platoon members was shot twice and killed. It hit our group hard, especially those of us who had to watch it happen, but we ended up closer than before after some time passed. It's...why I was on my phone so much and checking in with everyone. I got scared and reacted badly because I was torn about wanting to be with all of you and them too. I know it's not an excuse but you wanted to know what had me so distracted and that's one of the reasons besides being in a new relationship and all. I was stupid and immature about things. I just wanted to say I'm sorry, and I hope you can forgive me," Harrison finished.

Briana smiled softly from the couch and reached forward to hold Harrison's hand. The room was silent, all of them looking at Harrison after he said what he did. It was a genuine apology, and he told them things he probably couldn't before to explain why he was always on his phone; that it was him talking to Briana and his friends, afraid to find out when he got back that someone else passed away. True, it wasn't an excuse, but it was a better explanation than what they got the first time when it looked like he just didn't want to be with them at all. Now, it made sense.

"I forgive him," Nate said as he got up and hugged Harrison tightly.

"We forgave you already, son," Viviana informed as she went over and kissed his cheek, then hugged him. Spencer patted his back with a smile.

"And we're sorry for what we said to you that day. It wasn't fair of us to assume you didn't care just because you were being a good friend and checking in with your fellow soldiers," Frankie said.

"Yeah, we should have been more understanding that you can't tell us everything and what you do with your personal life and relationships is no business of ours," Regina said lightly.

"We just don't want you to forget about us. We want to be in your life too, man," TJ smiled. Addilyn was the only one who hadn't said something yet. "Addy? Didn't you have something to say to Harrison too?"

"I'm sorry for slapping you that day. No matter how upset I was, I had no right to do that," Addilyn began.

"Alright, I can forgive it. A heated moment, I don't think any of us were thinking that day," Harrison admitted.

"Also, I'll forgive you for what happened two months ago, Harrison, but I'm not ready to...be around you just yet. Yeah, you gave your reasons, and I'll accept them. I can't imagine what it'd be like to lose a good friend in war, then be away from the rest and worrying if they'll be okay. However, when you came home in August, you could have told me that you didn't feel the same for me as I did for you. I would have understood, but you didn't say anything to me, so I continued to hope that you did return my feelings. I felt led on and hurt because you said when you figured it out, you would tell me," Addilyn said softly. "Anyway. I still need some time, but ya know, after all this...passes, maybe we can be friends again?" Addilyn added.

"Yeah, sure," Harrison replied.

"Well, um, welcome home. I'm glad you're back safe, Harrison, and maybe I'll catch you before you leave again," Addilyn said.

"It's a small town; I'm sure will and thanks," Harrison replied. Addilyn and Harrison shook hands; then she waved to everyone with a smile before exiting the house and getting on Stormfly to go home. Harrison closed the door and faced the others.

"Don't take it personally, Harrison. Addy still has feelings for you, and she knows you're with Briana now, so she's backing off to get over you," Regina informed.

"I know. I expected such, at least she doesn't hate me," Harrison replied. Harrison felt good about what he'd done; apologizing to everyone formally made him feel better. It wasn't easy to talk about Cody dying and the fear he felt for losing someone else, but he'd done it, and now everyone had forgiven him.

"Well, I think it's time for dinner. Harrison, perhaps you and Nate can help Briana get settled upstairs while your father and I cook," Viviana said.

"We'll help too," Frankie offered. Harrison nodded as he picked Briana up in his arms while Nate grabbed her bag, then got help from TJ to carry it. Harrison was happy, sure, he lost Addilyn for a bit, but it was understandable why. At the moment, things were alright because Briana's wounds were healing and Harrison finally healed the wounds he created with his friends and family. Now, everything was going to be okay.


	26. Stories Of War

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; HarrisonXBriana_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! Also, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character; Ella(Eira) Solveig. She belongs to my good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

 **-Author's Note;** _Hey, all my loyal readers. So, I have to apologize for my lack of updates recently. I'm working thirty hours a week or so and come home to do motherly and wifely duties such as dishes, laundry, cooking, cleaning, etc. Also, as a recent development. I have a dental abscess-tooth infection which has me in quite a bit of pain, and I can't seem to focus on my chapters. All in all, I am sorry, and I'm doing my best, so please bear with me! Thank you again! ~Nightstar_ **-**

26) Stories of War

 **[10/22/2015; Haddock Residence-6:15 pm]**

Harrison had been home for six days and was leaving in three. Today was October 22, 2015, a Thursday where everyone was over at the Haddock Household to relax and hang out. As expected, Addilyn was not present. Harrison understood why, though, because Addy was trying to get over him so he couldn't knock that reasoning. All week, Harrison had spent visiting his friends and enjoying the fact he was home until Sunday the 25th of October, that is when he left for the US again with Briana and his unit. As it turned out, only the soldiers with dragons from Wind Rider Platoon were going, not everyone. Harrison didn't mind so much; there weren't a lot of soldiers who used dragons. Some just preferred to have Terrible Terrors rather than bond and train the bigger dragons.

It was cool; no one was obligated to have a rideable dragon. A lot of money went into housing, care, feeding, plus the fees for the licensing. There were different levels of what someone got issued for their dragon. Immediately following a bond being formed, the person would have to apply for an ownership license; this only said the owner's name, address, phone number, type of dragon, date of bonding, and then the dragons name with a picture of both owner and dragon. This was a license issued to all dragon owners, even the Terrible Terrors.

Now, there were different kinds of licenses, and it depended on what the person was doing. There were cards for doctors, trainers, wranglers, and care takers. The ownership license allowed the owner of their dragon to train, house, and ride them-but ONLY their dragon. There was an overall license, and it's what Harrison had. Now this license, was something that meant Harrison was trained for all types of dragon encounters. The overall card that he carried said Harrison could treat, ride, and train dragons of all species plus their dragon.

Harrison earned this card while in Kuwait because of what he and Toothless did during the dragon attack.

Harrison's last couple of days since arriving at home have been spent caring for Briana, showing her around his hometown, and hanging with his friends and family. Harrison even introduced Bri to Calvin and the Berkys crew. Yep, Harrison loved how things were right now; calm, as they should be and no one mad at him anymore. Tonight, everyone was getting together to relax and talk about the past, fun times as it were.

"I still can't believe you made Sergeant! That's amazing, Harrison!" Trevor exclaimed. Yeah, everyone was still talking about that. Harrison couldn't process it either; he jumped from Private First Class to Sergeant! That means he completely passed over Corporal and Specialist and it was truly an honor to be nineteen-years-old and a Sergeant after only being in the military for a year or so. It would be two years in April 2016, so this was pretty exciting for him.

"You still haven't told us about the last six months, son," Spencer reminded.

"There isn't much to tell. We just hung around and did our jobs, few missions and guards now and then," Harrison smiled softly.

"Well, can you tell us about saving Briana? The whole female Night Fury thing, I forget what her name is," Frankie exclaimed.

"Nightstar," Briana informed.

"Ah, that's it. What made you pick that name?" Hailey wondered curiously.

"Well, Nightstar is a little darker than Toothless in color, but the scale pattern on her forehead looks like a star. So I took Nightsky and star pattern to make Nightstar," Briana explained.

"That's cool. And Harrison, you used Toothless because he can retract his teeth, didn't you?" Nate questioned.

"You got it, kiddo," Harrison nodded.

"So, will you tell us about all that? I mean, it got you promoted, so it had to be heroic," Regina stated.

"I was just following my instincts, guys. Anyone else would have done the same," Harrison shrugged.

"Ugh, Harrison! Stop being so modest!" Dexter and Syrus scolded him.

"Yeah. No one else DID it, you did. The point is, and you admitted it to us that you had a feeling it might be Briana signaling you for help," Olivia giggled.

"Because she knew you would understand another Night Fury," Chelsea added.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I'll tell you then, if you really want to know," Harrison sighed while leaning back. All of a sudden, there was a loud thud outside followed by a few groans of pain. Harrison got up and walked to the sliding glass doors and pulled back the curtain to see Addilyn sitting on the ground holding her wrist; Stormfly was beside her ride. Harrison quickly opened the door and hurried out. "Addilyn?" he asked.

"Harrison?" she asked whipping her head in his direction. "I-I'm sorry for dropping in. There's a storm blowing into Berkville, but I needed to see you," Addilyn admitted as Harrison went outside and helped her up, she hissed at the pressure on her left wrist. "Ow!"

"Sorry. Come inside and tell me what's going on," Harrison offered as she nodded and walked in with his help. Harrison assisted her to the couch next to Hailey and Regina while Nate shut the door. "First of all, was that you crashing in the backyard? Are you hurt?" he asked.

"It was the increasing winds, Stormfly and I caught a bad one, and we had trouble leveling out again, then had a rough landing here. I was trying to get to your place anyway. Stormfly has been acting weird, and the local dragon care facility says she's fine, but I know it's something else. I wanted to know if you could take a look at her for me," Addilyn wondered.

"I will look over her for you, but I want to make sure you didn't hurt yourself on landing. Are you okay?" Harrison asked.

"I landed on my side and bent my wrist a little," Addy admitted to him. Harrison lifted her sleeve a little and rotated her wrist slowly, he watched her facial reactions for pain or discomfort and felt around the spots she cringed at the most.

"It's not broken or sprained, you probably twisted it a little, but you should be fine with some ice and giving it a day or two with nothing strenuous. Same with your side, it might bruise, but no broken or cracked ribs. So, what's going on with Stormfly?" Harrison asked as Addilyn fixed her sleeve and Harrison moved back a little.

"I don't know. Bigger appetite and seems tired or uninterested in things we loved doing," Addilyn shrugged. Harrison moved outside again and began checking over Stormfly with a few simple things, ruling out what it couldn't be. Finally, he checked her stomach, and Stormfly reacted to it; that's when Harrison realized what it was. Harrison moved back into the house and shut the door while smiling. "Is she okay?!" Addilyn asked quickly.

"Stormfly is perfect, Addilyn," Harrison informed softly. "She is showing the standard behavior of any expecting mother in the dragon community," he added.

"Wait! You mean Stormfly is pregnant?!" Addilyn exclaimed in shock.

"Yep. Perhaps another three to four days and she'll give birth to the eggs and then in a day or two from that; they'll hatch," Harrison told her lightly.

"Wow. I mean, there's housing at the university I'm attending, and the dragons have a place they can fly around and relax outside of the stables, but I didn't think she got herself pregnant by one of the other Nadders," Addilyn blinked.

"It happens. It's nearing mating season anyway, usually around Snoggletog. The dragons that are not bonded are known for taking off for a few days to mate or give birth to their eggs if already mated. Bottom line, Addy, Stormfly is fine. She knows what she's doing," Harrison smiled.

"Thanks the Gods," Addilyn sighed in relief, "Thank you, Harrison. I knew if anyone could tell me what was going on, it was you," she added. "So, I guess I should be getting back," she said getting up.

"I'm afraid I can't allow that, Addilyn. In fact, I can't let any of you leave. That storm blowing in is a level three hurricane warning, and I can't have any of you flying or driving with that in effect. I'm going to keep you here until the warning lifts," Spencer suddenly said to the friends gathered in the room.

"Are we just camping out here then? This storm is supposed to go all night until lunch time tomorrow," Frankie wondered.

"Yes. There's plenty of room right in here; we'll move a few of the sofas and chairs," Spencer nodded.

"I believe we have sleeping bags and extra pillows in the basement," Viviana said. "Harrison, why don't you and Nate go grab them while your father and I stay up here to call parents and let them know where their kids are?" she suggested.

"Got it, Ma," Nate saluted as Harrison gave Briana a light kiss on the cheek before heading to the basement with Nathaniel.

 **[Living Room-7:45 pm]**

The sofas and chairs had gotten moved out of the way while everyone found a spot on the floor of the Haddock Residence main room. Briana, of course, was staying on the couch for the sake of her ankle and ribs recovering. Harrison didn't want either to get worse when there was only about a week left before she was completely healed. Harrison would be sleeping close by her and Nate not far from him. Trevor, Syrus, and Dexter were sleeping side by side with Hailey on Dexter's left. Chelsea and Olivia were near the wall by the staircase. Addilyn and Regina were by the wall nearest the sliding glass door. Frankie and TJ were laid out in front of the television. Spencer and Viviana would be upstairs in their room.

"Well, since we're all stuck together tonight; Harrison, maybe you can tell us that story from before Addy crashed here?" TJ wondered.

"Oh, I suppose," Harrison stated as he sat next to Briana on the couch while she laid her head on his shoulder with a smile. "Well, Briana got separated from her unit on a mission after an explosion went off, she got captured for three days and escaped. While running between villages for the first week, she hurt her ankle and took refuge in a house on the outskirts of one of the smaller communities that were a twenty-minute flight to the Camp Arifjan bases,"

"Oh, you poor dear. I hope those people didn't hurt you too much," Viviana said softly.

"Few slaps and punches, the kick is what hurt my ribs," Briana informed lightly.

"So, two days after ending up in that old house, Nightstar showed up and because she knows about bonding and training a dragon due to the fact I taught her everything using Toothless, the two bonded. After that, Briana told her dragon to find a man named Harrison with a Night Fury named Toothless; then she sent Nightstar where to go. The brings us to when Nightstar whipped in and knocked me off Toothless. The first fall, Nightstar grabbed me and tried to take me herself, but Toothless made her let me go, then place me on the ground before the two faced off," Harrison continued to explain.

"I had Toothless back off, and I tried to calm her down. I said I was a friend and wouldn't hurt her; I even introduced myself and Toothless. After saying my name and his, she seemed to relax then start urging me to follow her. I had Toothless confirm that Nightstar wanted me to follow, so Major Hagebak said I could, but I only had an hour to check it out and then return to base. I went with Toothless after Nightstar until we got to the village outskirts. I didn't know what it was, but I knew the direction we'd gone in. The same one where Briana went missing and just a little while before getting knocked off Toothless, I'd prayed for some kind of sign to let me know she was alive," Harrison said.

"Wow," Frankie and Regina said together in awe.

"Reaching this house on the edge of the community, I scouted it out carefully and called out for anyone to answer me if they were in there. After the second try, I added in that I was a soldier led to that spot by a dragon, that's when I heard someone say my name. As soon as I heard her voice, I knew it was Briana. I hurried to her, and she told me about the capture and hurting her ankle. Initially, she said it was broken, but that was likely due to the pain of not having it treated after it was injured. Bri told me she bonded to the female Night Fury, now as you know Nightstar. I got her in my arms as I was sitting on Toothless and we returned to the base," Harrison finished the story

"And that's when Dunbar tried to say Harrison defied the orders of not going to look for me and Harrison countered him by saying he didn't look for me, he followed Nightstar but hadn't known that she was leading him to me. Harrison said he would be happy to tell them the story after I was taken to medical for treatment," Briana smiled.

"That is so sweet. And Harrison didn't you technically go looking for her? You said that you knew Briana disappeared in the direction you were flying in?" Regina mentioned.

"Well, I thought it had been a bit odd that right after I asked for a sign to know she was alive, a Night Fury of all dragons came to take me with her. And when Nightstar motioned the direction to go in, it was the same area Briana went missing. I don't know, it was just instinct to go, so I did," Harrison shrugged.

"That's why you got promoted, stupid," Syrus sighed. "Because you did what no one else did. You trusted your gut and rescued Briana because of it," he added.

"And I'm grateful every day for it; I owe him my life," Briana smiled as Harrison leaned over and kissed her gently.

"I'm just glad to have you back," Harrison said to her.

"So, tell us more. Anything from when you were there, I'm sure you weren't fighting all the time, right?" Nate asked.

"Of course not. We all knew how to have fun in Zone One," Dexter chuckled. "I don't think it will hurt," he added looking to the rest of the Fury Fire Unit. Harrison could only shake his head with a smile. Sure, it wasn't the best way to spend the night until they went to sleep, but it was something. So, tonight they'd be sitting around and relaxing in the living room. After everyone had sat back, the Fury Fury soldiers began telling their stories of war.


	27. Returning To Work

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; Harrison X Briana_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! In addition, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character Ella (Eira) Solveig. She belongs to a good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

27) Returning To Work

 _{Normal POV}_

 **[Haddock Household; October 22, 2015]**

The time was now 9:30 pm, the Haddocks and Harrison's friends were all settled in the living room to ride out the storm that was hanging over Berkville. Everyone could hear the pouring rain and thunder, the flashes coming through the windows of lightning outside. The winds howled fiercely and whipped through at speeds of thirty-two miles per hour. In truth, the group of them was not doing much now as the power had gone out an hour ago. The living room was lit by battery-operated lanterns, and the friends and family were talking about whatever came to mind. Now, the soldiers of Fury Fire Unit were talking about some of the fun times they had in Kuwait. Viviana and Spencer were listening in as well because it was interesting to hear of the moments while deployed where the soldiers got to a good time over working. Initially, Harrison had been showing pictures on his laptop to them and then the teammates would tell the story behind that particular photo.

"It's astounding all the things you guys and girls got to do," Viviana said softly at the end of a story about when the soldiers got to enjoy karaoke in Zone 1 during dinner.

"Well, they like us to wind down and relax a little after work so we don't get stressed out or too upset about things," Chelsea informed gently to Harrison's mother.

"Upset about what, if I may ask?" Frankie wondered curiously now.

"Most often, the case would be so we didn't get too upset over friends we've lost," Dexter enlightened.

"And how many losses did Wind Rider Platoon have?" Addilyn decided to ask hoping that it would not make any of the soldiers too uncomfortable to discuss.

"In the six months we were there, Wind Rider had five deaths. Two females and three males," Harrison stated from the couch with his eyes closed.

"Yeah, it wasn't easy to get through losing Cody, Jamie, May, Darrel, and Oliver," Syrus sighed.

"Cody was the first, and then, Darrel right after Harrison got back from his leave on that Saturday. May and Oliver were next on the same day, hours apart from one another, and then the last was Jamie," Olivia closed her eyes sadly.

"I can't even imagine the pain those families must be feeling," Viviana said sadly.

"What happens to their dragons, if any of them had one?" TJ inquired.

"Only two of them did. Cody had a male Gronckle named Crush, and after Cody died, Crush bonded to Cody's battle buddy, Blake. Darrel had a Changewing, male, named Camo. I believe Camo was returned to the family when Darrel's body was sent home for burial," Harrison mentioned.

"How did they die?" Regina asked. The room fell silent except for the storm continuing outside; the soldiers seemed to put their heads down with closed eyes. Addilyn happened to noticed that Harrison's fist tightened up but Briana placed her hand on his as he relaxed a little with her stroking her thumb over his knuckles. Finally, Harrison got up and left the living room. From what the group downstairs could hear, Harrison ended up going to his room and shutting the door.

"Y-You know, maybe this isn't the best topic to be discussing," Briana mentioned.

"It was just a question," Nate said innocently, not understanding what was going on.

"Yes, I know, Nate. But to them, and to Harrison, it's much more," Briana sighed softly while the others looked at her confused. "Syrus, Dexter, will you two go make sure he's alright since I'm unable to follow him up the stairs please?" she asked gently.

"Don't need to tell us twice. We know how much it hurt him," Syrus nodded as he and Dexter got up from their spots on the floor and moved upstairs to check on Harrison, who was in fact in his room.

"What did they mean?" Viviana asked. "When was Harrison hurt?" she continued.

"Not physically, Mrs. Haddock. Mentally and emotionally. Some of those five deaths were hard for the platoon to accept and get through and some were hard on certain individuals, Harrison being one of them," Chelsea explained in the easiest way she could.

"Harrison is basically the platoon leader," Olivia started.

"Wait, I thought Glenn Belmore was the head of Wind Rider?" Addilyn inquired.

"He is, however, out on missions, Harrison is in charge and reports back to Belmore via radio communications," Olivia replied after being cut off.

"I feel like I know where this is going. Missions were how these soldiers from your platoon were killed and it hurts Harrison because it happened on his watch, am I right?" Spencer wondered.

"Precisely," Briana nodded. At that moment, Syrus and Dexter returned. "How is he?"

"Same as he was in Kuwait after it happened," Dexter sighed.

"He wants to be left alone for a bit," Syrus finished. "The death Harrison told you about when he apologized to everyone, that death was the first one to hit the platoon and we all took it hard," he continued. "Cody Hart, bonded to a male Gronckle he named Crush. Shot twice, once in the leg and then another bullet struck him in the neck. Cody died within minutes and he passed away as we were carrying him out of the mission site," Syrus closed his eyes.

"Harrison had been the one to see it happen, the rest of us didn't see the damage until Harrison was carrying Cody towards extraction point," Chelsea informed.

"Darrel Payne was lost in an RPG blast, recovered his body two days later and identified him by his tags," Olivia stated.

"Next was May Collins and Oliver Clarke, neither had bonded to a dragon. May passed away that morning while on patrol in a neighboring town. It was an ambush and she was shot in the head, Harrison saw that happen and was the one to rush out into the street to get her body to bring back with us," Dexter enlightened.

"Don't talk about, Dex. We almost lost Harrison that day too," Chelsea covered her ears.

"What do you mean, what happened?" Spencer asked now.

"Harrison got stuck fighting one of the ground enemies had to hand, he got stabbed in the side. Nothing vital got hit and the wound only had him down a week and a half after getting stitches from the Medical Center when we got back. It was not life threatening, it just seemed that way because we got scared that the fight happened during a firefight and he could have been shot rather than stabbed. Also, Harrison passed out on the chopper before we reached base and admitted later on to it being because of pain from the injury," Syrus informed.

"You try getting stabbed in the side and tell me it don't hurt," Harrison remarked from the staircase and coming into view.

"Hey, I never said that it didn't hurt man," Trevor chuckled, "But you still scared the hell out of us," he added.

"Why were we never told about this?" Viviana questioned.

"While we're deployed, we're not permitted to discuss anything that happens unless cleared to do so by our commanding officers. Aaron and Glenn didn't permit us to talk about this until after the tour was over. I believe it has something to do with them not wanting to worry the families and create a more stressful environment for us than it already is," Dexter responded calmly.

"Meaning?" Nate tilted his head to the side.

"How can I put this to make it easier?" Harrison tapped his chin. "Alright, got it. You know how while I was deployed, you guys were content with things because you thought it was fine?" he asked and Nate nodded to him. "Well, overseas, we stress a lot as it is and the officers feel that some things are better left untold to the families until later on so that they are calling constantly and worrying about things. In short, if they don't know, then they can't worry,"

"OH! I get it now," Nate smiled as Harrison ruffled his hair. "Are you okay?" he asked next.

"I'm fine. Death is never easy to talk about, more over when it is your friends that are dying. I accepted what happened and I also know that it can happen to anyone, including me, but that doesn't mean I want to hear about it when I had to live it," Harrison smiled lightly. "The other two who died were Oliver Clarke and Jamie Sandoval. Oliver passed away the same day May did, it was a week after Briana went missed. Oliver wandered away from the group too far and was killed, won't go into detail about as I'm not allowed to say more than that regarding his death,"

"And Jamie was killed in action a week before we came home; she got trapped in a collapsing building after an RPG strike. We dug her out, but she was already gone," Olivia said softly. Harrison sat down next to Briana and kissed her forehead.

"You know, we never did do the thing we said we would," Trevor smiled looking around the room at the Fury Fire soldiers.

"What did you say you'd do?" Frankie asked curiously.

"We'd honor our fallen platoon members in some way or another, never got around to it because we couldn't think of something to do in their memory," Syrus told them. "Though, Harrison, you've yet to give an idea about what we should do," he added.

"At the end of the day, they are fallen heroes. All we can do is bow our heads and pray that they've found peace in the afterlife while we remember them as they were and never forget that they paid the ultimate sacrifice for freedom as all of us who are soldiers know that we may have to pay the same," Harrison said his army friends.

"Well put, son," Spencer nodded in agreement.

"I only spoke the truth, Dad," Harrison shrugged.

"But it makes all the difference to say it that way, babe," Briana smiled to him as she held his hand and Harrison returned the smile gently as Briana ended up yawning.

"You're pain medication is kicking in, that's why you're tired, Love. Time to call it a night," Harrison told her lightly. "There's nothing much else to do with the storm, best we all get some rest," he added as Briana laid down on the couch and Harrison made sure to keep her ankle propped up before placing the blanket over her. "Sleep well, beautiful," he then kissed her lightly before lying down in his spot and covering up to relax. Not long after, the rest of the living room group did the same.

"Harrison?" Briana asked after the lights went out.

"Yeah, babe?" Harrison replied.

"I love you," Briana said lightly.

"I love you too," Harrison responded as they kissed again. Harrison held her hand and soon the two of them fell fast asleep holding hands and smiles on their faces.

 _{Harrison's POV}_

 **[Sunday, October 25, 2015-Fort Benning]**

We had just arrived in Georgia at Fort Benning after a long sixteen-hour flight with two layovers. The only difference with this trip to the USA was that only members of Fury Fire were here this time. Not even Glenn or Aaron had come, my position as Sergeant meant I could lead the unit by myself. Our purpose here was to help with the dragon training and the cool part was that we didn't have to live at Fort Benning. For now, we were going to live there because we would need time to find another place to stay. I was nervous right now, Briana's family was meeting us there to take her home so this is where I would finally get to meet them and I hoped they liked me as much as my family liked her. For the moment, all I could do was thinking about the last few days that I was in Berkville with my family and friends.

The remaining days of being in Berkville were interesting. The storm passed overnight and the next morning, Addilyn left with Stormfly before the sun rose. I had a feeling she did not want to be at my parent's house any longer than she had to be because of watching Briana and I interact with one another as boyfriend and girlfriend. I had expected nothing less, Addy did let me know that she needed time to get over me so being stuck at the house because of the storm and watching Bri and I probably was not easy for her. I spent Friday and Saturday making sure everything was ready for today, we left at 4 am from Arc Isle and promised to stay on contact as much as we were able. I was so tired, I wanted to get some sleep, but I promised Briana I'd meet her family so here went everything.

"Briana! Oh, sweetheart!" greeted Mia Grayson, Briana's mother who rushed over to hug her daughter carefully.

"Easy, Mom. Still a bit sore," Briana reminded her mother while being hugged; Mia released her as Briana then embraced her father and two siblings.

"We're so glad you're safe, sis," Jasmine, Briana's younger sister said softly.

"You can thank Harrison for bringing me home safely," Briana smiled.

"We've heard a lot about you, Harrison," Alexander, Briana's brother stated.

"Well, aren't you going to introduce us, Briana?" came Carter Grayson's question followed by a smile.

"Of course. Mom, Dad, Alex, Jaz, this is Harrison Haddock and he's both the soldier who saved me from being MIA and my boyfriend," Briana introduced. "Babe, these are my parents, Carter and Mia. And then my siblings, Alex and Jasmine," Briana added.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintances," Harrison smiled and shook hands with the family members.

"Thank you for saving our Briana," Mia said softly as she hugged Harrison tightly.

"Bri means a lot to me, Mrs. Grayson." Harrison replied calmly.

"That makes you part of the family then. We hope you will join us for dinner on Friday night after work? We'd like to get to know you more, Harrison," Carter offered.

"Absolutely. I would be delighted to join you and your family, sir," Harrison nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow, babe?" he asked while holding Briana's hand.

"Of course. I'm still on desk duty for another week, we can have lunch together," Briana told him.

"I'm down for that. Go on home and relax a little. I'll keep Nightstar with Toothless and I since your paperwork isn't completed yet," Harrison replied. Briana nodded to him as they shared a small kiss, then she bid Nightstar a goodbye. Harrison watched them leave as he then moved to his quarters that he would be sharing with Trevor while Dexter and Syrus had their own. Chelsea and Olivia had their own room too. All our dragons were put away in the stables which were directly across from our building where we'd sleep and shower. Nightstar was next to Toothless, I had a strong feeling that come Snoggletog time, those two were going to mate and we would have Fury babies roaming around by the New Year when this assignment was supposed to be over or so we were informed.

My current orders were to help with the dragon training, and report to Aaron or Glenn once a week to let them know how things were going. If all went well, I would be back in Berkville in before my twentieth birthday. I was relaxing in my room now, finally showered and laying down. Tomorrow started me returning to work.


	28. I'm Needed Here

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; Harrison X Briana_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! In addition, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character Ella (Eira) Solveig. She belongs to a good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

28) I'm Needed Here

 _{Harrison's POV}_

 **[January 2016-Fort Benning, Georgia-USA]**

Another long day of work had ended at last. Monday through Friday, I was up at 5 am to get through my morning workout and a flight with Toothless until 6:30 am, by then I would have until 7:30 am to get ready for breakfast. After that, it was training with dragons until lunch hour from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. Following lunch was more training. My day would end at 6 pm for dinner at 6:30, after which I would go for another flight with Toothless, and then take a long, hot shower before lying down in my bed and usually knocking out within ten to fifteen minutes after my head hit the pillow. That was my job after all. In other updates, Briana was completely healed and I'd taught her everything there was to know about owning, training, and riding a Night Fury since I was the only other person at Fort Benning who had that type of dragon.

Oh, did I mention that Toothless and Nightstar are mated now? Yep, they mated over Snoggletog and were no proud parents of three hatchlings. Two males; Streamwing and Stormsky, then a female named Luna. Streamwing was black with dark blue eyes. Stormsky was had the body color of a storm cloud with green eyes. Finally, Luna was medium gray with light purple eyes. In addition, Luna's scale pattern showed a crescent moon on her chest. Those little ones were only hatched a few days after Snoggletog; Nightstar had birthed the eggs on Snoggletog morning so that had been a nice surprise for us at Briana's house. I ended up spending a few days there to celebrate the holiday with them, I roomed with Alexander on military cot that Carter had stashed in the basement. I talked to my family a little bit, but not much because with the five-hour time change and being so busy with work.

Briana was fully licensed for Nightstar now, but she did not go out for the full trainer license as I had and I think she explained her reasoning to be that she wanted to focus on handling Nightstar. In addition, Briana and I learned that because Toothless and Nightstar are mated, we have rights to own their babies too. Not forever, just until they were older and ready to be trained. The law stated that the younger Night Furies would be allowed for bonding and training purposes when they were six years old, about the time that a child would attend Kindergarten seemed like a suitable time to start training them. No one would be allowed to try to bond with them until they were ten, unless the dragon picked their owner themselves. I honestly had to say, it did not feel like two months had passed since the Fury Fire unit and I had been here in the US. You had to figure, we left Berkville at the end of October 2015, and now it was only the beginning of January 2016 so it was about two months on my calendar.

That dinner with Briana's family had been incredible! I got thanked again by her family for trusting my instincts with Nightstar and following her to Briana's location. I suppose that if I had not chosen to believe that there was a bigger meaning behind Nightstar's appearance that day in Kuwait, Briana might not alive right now. The dinner was great! We talked a lot about my life in Berkville, possible plans for the future if things with Bri and I went well. I felt like they were and Gods, I loved this girl so much, I never knew I could feel this happy. On my count now, Briana and I have been dating for five months on the 7th of January. Today was only the 2nd, a Saturday, and I was currently waiting to speak with Major General Wright because he pulled me away from training to talk to me so I left Dexter in charge while I was here.

I wasn't sure what this was going to be about, but I hoped it was news about when we'd get to go home to Berkville. Although, in some sense, I didn't want to leave because it meant I'd be away from Briana. In addition to that reasoning, I had to think about Toothless and the baby Night Furies too, we couldn't very well separate the family.

"Sergeant Haddock, you may go in now," said the soldier standing outside MG Wright's office. I stood up and moved into the room, then offered a salute to the man.

"Have a seat, Haddock," Ethan invited to the chair on the other side of the desk. I sat down slowly, remaining tense. "Relax, you're not in any trouble," he offered a smile. At that, I felt some relief wash over me and I relaxed a little. "Do you know why you're here?" he asked.

"No, sir, I do not," I replied to Ethan.

"You're unit has fulfilled their duties here and I just got off the phone with Major Hagebak, he has arranged for you to all fly home in two weeks to Arc Isle," Ethan informed. I sighed some, I hoped that we'd be staying longer so I could figure out what to do about the Night Fury situation.

"That's…great news. I'm sure the group will be pleased to hear of it," I answered softly.

"You don't sound happy about it," Ethan pointed out.

"I suppose that is due to what me leaving entails, Major General," I stated to him.

"Explain?" Ethan motioned for me to continue.

"Well, as you know. There is a personal relationship between Private First Class Briana Grayson and myself, we're dating and have been for five months on Thursday coming up. While I have no problems coming to visit her on free time because it wouldn't take long with my dragon. Another situation I'm encountering is that my dragon and Miss. Grayson's are mated with offspring and I do not feel it would be fair to split the family up," I elaborated.

"Yes, I do see how this can be a vexing problem," Ethan rubbed his chin while sitting back. "You and Miss. Grayson own the rights to the Night Fury babies until they are six years of age, correct?" he inquired.

"Yes, sir," I nodded.

"Hm. Why don't you give me a little time to speak to Hagebak about this and I'll figure something out before two weeks is up, alright?" Ethan suggested.

"Much appreciated, Major General Wright. Thank you," I replied to him calmly.

"Very good then. You are dismissed, Haddock. Go let your unit know about the good news. Once I have the information about the departure from the US, I will convey it to you to pass along," Ethan said. I nodded again as I got to my feet, offered a salute, and then exited the building.

 _{Normal POV}_

 **[Three Weeks Later-1/25/2016; Arc Isle Airport]**

The gang was all there after getting the news three weeks ago that their soldiers were coming home from the US after a long three months. Trevor, Olivia, Syrus, Dexter, and Chelsea were making their way to baggage claim and passenger pickup after the aircraft landed and allowed them to get to their waiting families. However, one member of their unit was not present; Harrison Haddock. However, due to the last minute decision, his family and friends didn't know that Harrison wasn't going to be here when they went down those stairs to see everyone. Harrison's family was excited, so were his friends. Even Addilyn had come out to welcome him home and they were going to be in for a shock when they found out Harrison wasn't coming.

"Who wants to be the bearer of bad news?" Syrus inquired as they were making their way to the escalators.

"It doesn't matter who says it. I'm sure they'll realize that Harrison isn't with us," Olivia sighed softly.

"I just hope they will understand," Dexter closed his eyes as they reached the point of no return.; once they were on the escalator they watch happy faces turn to some thing close to confusion. "There was nothing we could do, it was Harrison's decision," he added as they neared the bottom and stepped off.

"Welcome home!" the families and friends cheered. The group of soldiers put on their smiling faces and greeted everyone. Hailey jumped into Dexter's arms, Syrus's parents hugged him tightly. Trevor, Olivia, and Chelsea saw their families or lovers. Olivia did have a boyfriend that she had been with for two years as far as they all knew. Chelsea had a crush but nothing was made official due to her joining the army and not having any time to talk before she left for training. From what the Fury Fire Unit soldiers understood, it was looking promising that Chelsea would have a boyfriend very soon now that they were back on Arc Isle.

"Where's Harrison?" the five soldiers stopped what they were doing when the fabled question was asked. The group sighed and looked to Spencer, the one who inquired about Harrison's whereabouts.

"What's the matter? You all look like something happened to him, is he alright?" Nate mentioned curiously.

"Dexter, you're Harrison's second in command. You tell them," Chelsea stated softly.

"I'm afraid that Harrison will not be coming home for a long while," Dexter informed as the Haddock parents gasped along with the friends too.

"I don't understand," Viviana says confused.

"Toothless and Harrison can't really leave right now," Syrus sighed.

"Why can't he leave?" Addilyn questioned.

"Toothless and Nightstar mated over Snoggletog and have three babies. However, the dragon laws state that the babies must stay with their parents," Dexter explained.

Trevor closed his eyes. "In short, the law won't allow the family to be split up. So, Major General Wright spoke to Major Hagebak about the situation and that is why Harrison has to stay there for now,"

"We don't know much about the situation, you'd have to talk to Harrison. I know there's a lot of legal stuff involved," Olivia mentioned. Viviana looked at Spencer worried now.

"Let's get out of here, then we'll call him," Spencer told her. Viviana nodded as the group exited the airport terminal and reached the parking lot where the dragons waited for them. The other soldiers left with their families, all the Haddocks and Harrison's friends wanted to know was what was going on and why Harrison wasn't allowed to come home. Spencer got his phone out and called Harrison, hoping he would be available to talk. At the moment, it was 6:45 pm for them and if they subtracted five hours that meant it was 1:45 pm in the USA.

"Put it on speakerphone," Viviana demanded quickly as Spencer sighed and did so. It went right to voicemail.

"Try Skype, sir. Harrison usually talks to everyone there," Frankie offered.

"Nathaniel, call your brother on Skype. We don't have it on our phones," Spencer told his youngest. Nate nodded and pulled out his phone to dial his elder brother. Four rings in and Harrison answered, though, with the camera on it looked like he was very busy.

" _Little busy at the moment, Nate. What's up?"_ came Harrison's voice.

"Harrison Haddock! Explain yourself and why you can't come home, right now!" Viviana ordered.

" _Mother, I do not have time to expl-Hang on. Bri! Get everyone back!"_ Harrison called.

" _Got it, babe. Fall back, everyone get back!"_ Briana yelled. After that, others began retreating backwards and the camera view was shaky and confusing. Harrison yelled out in pain and that worried his family and friends. _"HARRISON! Are you okay?!"_

" _I'll live. Get to safety! Toothless! Alpha mode, bud!"_ Harrison told his friend. Within seconds, there was a loud roar heard and those who were able to see Nate's phone screen saw Toothless having a blue glow to him. _"Well, that takes care of that. Toothless, have the dragons stay calm for the soldiers to get them,"_ Harrison panted.

"What happened, Harrison?!" Spencer demanded now.

" _Oh, right, you're still here. Nothing, I'm fine. I just got burned in the wrangling process, it's kind of my job, remember?"_ Harrison remarked.

"Don't get smart, young man. Why aren't you home with the others?" Vivian asked.

" _Because I'm the head dragon trainer here due to unforeseen circumstances beyond my control. The easiest explanation I can give you is this, all right? Pay attention because I don't have time to go more in depth right now,"_ Harrison said as his family and friends nodded to him. _"Toothless and Nightstar mated during Snoggletog and they have three babies; two males and a female. However, the law says we cannot split the family up until the babies are eight, old enough to bond, but they can start being trained to follow basic commands at six. Its dragon laws that Toothless and I have stay here for at least six month before the babies are ready to start flying, and even then. Briana and I have to move together because we share ownership of the babies due to owning Toothless and Nightstar. Any of that make sense?"_ he asked them after giving a brief explanation.

"So we won't see you unless Briana comes with you and even then, it's just visits, right?" Nate asked.

" _Basically. We don't know what's going to happen after the six-month mark. Briana and I haven't had time to talk about it. For the time being, I'm lead trainer here at Fort Benning. It's the job I was offered and at the moment, it's hectic trying to wrangle wild dragons while I'm on the phone. I gotta go, guys. As soon as I know more, I'll let you know. I'm sorry, but for now, I'm needed here. Love you, bye,"_ Harrison hung up after that, leaving his family and friends in utter shock of what he said. All they could do was go home because it was very evident that they wouldn't see Harrison for a long time because he was needed there.


	29. Missing Everyone

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; Harrison X Briana_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! In addition, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character Ella (Eira) Solveig. She belongs to a good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

29) Missing Everyone

 _{Harrison's POV}_

 **[April 2016-Fort Benning-Harrison's Room]**

It might have been one of the hardest things I ever had to do. Telling my family and friends on Skype that I was needed at Fort Benning, then hung up on them because I was in the middle of wrangling twenty-five wild dragons and needed to have Toothless use his Alpha Mode-the blue glow I learned about in Kuwait, to calm the dragons down. Of course, I ended up getting a pretty bad burn on my right arm from a Monstrous Nightmare. Nothing I couldn't handle, dragons were kind of my specialty and that's why I was made the head dragon trainer to Fort Benning Military Base. It had been three months since then, it was now April 22nd, 2016, a Friday and I'm sitting in my quarters thinking about everything. Gods, I'd been so ready to go home for a bit and see them all but that day at the airport, I was stopped from boarding the plane and told that I wasn't allowed to leave with my unit.

 **/Flashback: Monday, January 24** **th** **, 2016-7:30 pm/**

 _Fury Fire Unit and I were standing in line to board the aircraft that would take us home to Arc Isle, it would be an eighteen-hour flight plus layovers or so Major General Wright told me. I had called my family to tell them we were coming home a week ago because Hagebak and Wright worked something out for me to work between both places; the US and Arc Isle. However, the plans seemed to change when I saw two soldiers from Fort Benning rush to the boarding gate and pull me aside as I was about to get on the plane._

" _Sergeant Haddock, you can't leave," one said._

" _Um, why not?" I asked._

" _Wright said you have to come back with us to Fort Benning, there's an issue with you leaving the states. Grab your dragon and come with us, please? All will be explained back at the base," spoke the male soldier on my right. I sighed heavily and looked at my unit._

" _You go, I'll let you know what's going on as soon as I know, okay? Call me on your first layover, I should be aware of all this by then," I instructed the team._

" _You sure? We'll stay back with you," Syrus offered._

" _No, go on. I'll be fine. Worst comes to worst, I can fly Toothless back to Arc Isle. Go, you'll miss your flight," I urged._

" _Alright. Keep us posted," Trevor said and I nodded to him as I grabbed my bag and left with the two soldiers. I got Toothless from where they had him for transportation, then flew back the base ahead of the two soldiers. I went straight to Major General Wright's office and demanded to see him about all this._

 _ **[Major General Wright's Office]**_

" _Major General, what is going on?" I ordered him. He was not my CO and this was interfering with me getting home._

" _Have a seat, Sergeant. I'll explain," Ethan informed._

" _I'll stand, thanks," I remarked keeping my arms crossed over my chest firmly. I saw Ethan sigh heavily._

" _I'm afraid there is a complication with you leaving the states right now. According to dragon laws, your dragon must stay with his mate and children until they are old enough to travel with him. The timeframe on this is six months minimal," Ethan explained._

" _I am NOT leaving Toothless here for six months," I replied sternly._

" _I did not assume you would. In that sense, Mr. Haddock, you understand that you must stay in the states until the six months pass. You and Miss. Grayson have shared ownership of the baby dragon. Even after six months, the two of you will have to remain together when traveling until the offspring of your dragons reach bonding age, which is eight and at six, they can be trained to follow basic commands by a human," Ethan continued._

" _Well, run it by Hagebak then. Tell him that I'm not permitted to leave right now and I'll speak to Briana about all this," I sighed._

" _I've already spoken to Major Hagebak, Harrison. Our solution to this dilemma is for you to continue your duties here at Fort Benning," Ethan stated._

" _Elaborate?" I asked._

" _It means that you will stay a dragon trainer with us and since you won't have your team, I'm named you the head trainer of Fort Benning. Wrangling and training dragons, just as you were before. Anyone working with dragons will be under your command. With this job, there will be a pay raise and we'll give you a place to stay too. There are single dorms available; you would be with the American soldier trainers if that is okay? Or you're welcome to find your own place too," Ethan enlightened._

 _Wasn't this just great? Not. I'm stuck in Georgia due to the ownership rights I share with Bri for the Night Fury babies born from Nightstar and Toothless. I suppose it wasn't all bad, I hadn't wanted to leave Briana anyway and this would give us more time to talk about things. Honestly, this looked like Briana and I were basically married and dealing with a custody battle having to stay in one place until it was settled. The only difference was that we shared custody of the babies and weren't married. I guess this meant I had to talk to Briana about where our future was going because for the next eight years, we had to travel together with our dragons their offspring._

" _Very well. Set it up then," I sighed. "For the time being, I'd really like to just get to wherever I'm staying and let the rest of my unit know that I will be here for a while,"_

" _My apologies, Harrison. We weren't aware there was a law in place about this type of thing," Ethan stated._

" _It's fine," I replied respectfully. "Just tell me where I'm going," he added. Ethan nodded as I sat down and waited for my next orders. For the time being, Ethan just became my boss since I was working at Fort Benning as the lead trainer instead of a helper, which is what I was before. I would have to let my unit know about this on their first layover. My family was going to hate this, they believed I was on the flight coming into Arc Isle, but I wouldn't be because I'm required to be in the states by law now. There was nothing else I could do so I might as well make the best of it knowing that now, I would not be away from Briana._

 **/End Flashback/**

So, here I was, three months later and living in that dorm Ethan talked about. It was decent, to say the least. A single bed, four drawer dresser, wooden closet against the wall, and a desk too. There was a small sink and toilet in the bathroom with a stand-up shower too. A mini-fridge and microwave under the window. It really was a small dorm room like an apartment that I lived in. I figured it would be easier to just live at Fort Benning then going out and finding my own place, then having to furnish it and everything. After that day, I talked to my parents on the 25th, them wondering why I was not home. Unfortunately, I had been in the middle of working that Monday and could not talk long. I felt bad, but what could I do?

I was wrangling dragons, ended up getting myself a first-degree burn on my shoulder from a Monstrous Nightmare, and having to tell my family that I was needed here for the time being. I know they missed Nate, my parents and me especially and even now, three months later, I have barely spoken to them other than quick ten to fifteen-minute conversations. I was honestly just too busy or tired to talk long to them. My day ran from 5 am, which was my wake up, to about 8:30 pm, the time I made it back to my room, grabbed a shower, and laid down, then ended up knocking out around 9 pm. My only break would be at lunch hour from 12:15 pm to 1:15 pm. In the mornings at 6 am and at nights at 5 pm, I took a flight with Toothless and that was our thing so I wasn't calling home during that. 6 to 6:30 pm or so, I would eat dinner at the mess hall with the other trainers. And from 6:45 to 8:30, I would spend time with Briana whether we go on a date or just relaxed at her house since she wasn't allowed in my dorm due to the whole no co-ed thing.

I even worked weekends, I just worked less time on them and used the rest to hang with my girlfriend or let my body recover for the next week of work I had to endure. My workday always changed for what I was doing, sometimes it was wrangling, others it could be training, bonding, cleaning stables, etc. It was repetitive work but never on the same day. Weird, right? In happier updates, Briana and I have been dating eight months. Four more months and we'd be together a full year, I couldn't believe how fantastic our relationship was going and I was absolutely positive that it might not be this great if I were back on Arc Isle and we were dealing with a long distance relationship. Briana and I tried to spend a little time every day together but of course, other things always came up last minute. Thankfully, we stuck to texting and phone calls when we had free time and were unable to see each other physically.

Briana's family adored me, I had dinner over their place every other week and they reminded me constantly that I was a joy to have around. Hell, there was one time that they got home from work wicked late so Briana, her siblings, and myself cleaned the whole house and made dinner ourselves for them. Needless to say, they are convinced that I will take good care of Briana should she and I end up getting married and having a family of our own. I suppose it was good to know I had their blessing on the matter, but Briana and I were not ready for that next step yet. Briana and I haven't done anything more than make out, we have discussed having sex before and decided to wait since we hadn't figured the shared ownership of the dragons situation. It was still something we were trying to decide how to manage. We actually talked about it last night over dinner on our date.

 **/Flashback/**

 _Briana and I just sat down at the table the host led us to and ordered our drinks, nothing alcoholic since the law in the US was that you had to be twenty-one or older to consume alcohol we were only twenty. My birthday was in February and Briana's was April 14_ _th_ _, so hers just passed a week ago and we celebrated that with her family and friends at her parent's house. Tonight, we were going to revisit the conversations about the dragons and the traveling together thing, plus how our relationship was going. It was something we did every two months, just went out and made sure we were still happy together. Call it corny or whatever, but we wanted to ensure we were okay in this since we had to work together with our dragons being mated and having babies of their own on top of it all._

 _After receiving our drinks and placing our order, we knew it was time to talk about serious matters. I figured it would be easier if I started. However, Bri beat me to it. "How is your family doing?" she inquired._

" _Alright I suppose, missing me and wishing I could come home even if it's just for a visit," I admitted. "How is yours doing?" I returned the question to her now._

" _Great. Alex graduates High School this year, in two months actually. Mom and Dad love their work, Jasmine is struggling with Algebra and afraid to flunk this year. I guess she didn't do so hot on her midterms and unfortunately, math was not my forte in school either," Briana smiled a bit._

" _Your parents or brother can't assist?" I wondered._

" _Alex is busy with his own school work and part time job and you know what my parents do. There has been talk that Mom might get deployed, there was a mobilization alert three weeks ago, and nothing since," Briana sighed a bit._

" _Hey, it'll be okay. We all know that we can be deployed any time in this job," I told her with a comforting hand resting on hers._

" _I know, but it's never easy to process the news about it happening," Briana smiled. I nodded in agreement with her._

" _Maybe I could help your sister out. Math was one of my better subjects and I always had A's and B's in school," I offered to her._

" _I would appreciate that, I don't want to see her fail," Briana replied. "So, any new ideas on how to make this shared ownership thing work?" she asked._

" _Sadly, no. I mean, the basis is self-explanatory. Until Streamwing, Stormsky, and Luna are eight years of age, they go where their parents go which in itself is wherever we go because we're their owners. We know the law, for now, says that in three months I'm allowed to leave again, but it's vague on if that means you have to come with me or if I can at least go visit my family and friends then return afterward," I replied. It was a vexing problem to figure this out._

" _I feel that since no one is getting back to us, maybe it would be easier if we just traveled together. Perhaps we can…both put in for some time off work, two weeks and go visit your family and friends, then return here. It might be too much to try and live between both places," Briana offered._

" _And it wouldn't be fair. I can't ask you to move away from your family and friends just so I can be home and vice-versa," I added. "So I suppose we will have to just take vacations, I don't mind living here as long as I can see them every few months," I told my girlfriend._

" _Well, from what I can tell reading over the law on the website. This law is in effect for Night Furies only, because they are on the endangered species list. They want the babies to stay with their parents until they are old enough to bond and be trained with a human companion so the babies don't end up wild and killed by hunters or trappers," Briana stated._

" _Meaning that if Streamwing, Luna, or Stormsky end up choosing their companion before the eight years is up, then it would release us from ownership of them. It just says we can't split the family up unless it happens naturally. I assume that means that if they bond on their own, the ownership goes to that person and they have to follow whatever laws are in place after that," I stated._

" _Exactly," Briana nodded. "I suppose that settles it then. We'll have to travel together and visit your family as often as we're able until the babies bond on their own or turn eight. But, we still have to remain here for another three months before doing any of that," she added in. I smiled and I kissed her hand and our food arrived._

 **/End Flashback/**

I guess that decided that, we would have to travel together as one big family between Arc Isle and the USA. In three months, I'd be able to see my family again. I was happy about that because I was really missing everyone back home.


	30. Parent's Worst Fear

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; Harrison X Briana_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! In addition, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character Ella (Eira) Solveig. She belongs to a good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

30) Parent's Worst Fear

 _{Normal POV}_

 **[Arc Isle; Berkville-3:10 pm-4/29/2016]**

The Haddocks and all of Harrison's friends were most disappointed when Harrison was not with the Fury Fire Unit at the airport back in January. Here they were, three months later and still wondering if they were going to get to see Harrison when the six months was up. However, they also all knew that even with that timeframe over, Harrison and Briana had to travel together for them to see him at all. Harrison had informed them in January about the law after he called back later on to give them a more in depth explanation about the situation. It was hard to accept but they understood that Harrison could not break the laws set or he risked losing ownership of Toothless. So, for now, they had to deal with the hand they had been dealt. As it stood, they would not be seeing Harrison until the end of July 2016.

Nate had been upset about it, he missed his older brother a lot, but he understand that Harrison had rules to follow and was needed in Georgia for the time being. What sucked the most about this arrangement was how tired and busy Harrison was with work. The time change didn't make it any easier either with the US being five hours behind Arc Isle, as such, it was hard for Harrison to make contact with them and they were never able to talk on the cell phone. It was always Skype or Harrison would call from restricted. However, what none of them knew was that Nate had that number. It was Harrison's work line and Harrison gave it to Nate for the purpose of Nate ever needing him. Harrison and Nate had a strong brotherly relationship, Nate had always been able to go to Harrison with a problem, and Harrison didn't want Nate to feel like that changed just because he was away from him. Harrison entrusted Nate not to give that number to anyone else and he received it on his thirteenth birthday this past February, twenty days before Harrison turned twenty.

Nate was currently just getting off the bus and Addilyn was there to meet him. While Spencer and Viviana agreed to let Nate stay home alone during the summer, it did not cover after school as occasionally Nate needed help with his homework and Addy was more than happy to be there keep a watchful eye on the youngest member of the Haddock family.

"Hey Nate. How was school today?" Addilyn smiled as Nate made his way onto the front porch where Addy waited for him. After both were inside, Addilyn shut the door and Nate plopped down on the couch. "Are you hungry? I can make you a snack if you like?" she offered.

"No thanks, Addy. I just want to talk to my brother," Nate sighed. Addilyn frowned; Harrison had been hard to get a hold of lately.

"I know, but he's busy over there with the dragons. None of us get to hear from him a lot," Addy reminded as Nate closed his eyes. "Do you have any homework?" Addilyn inquired next.

"A little, but I can do it over the weekend," Nate replied.

"Your Mom and Dad like it done before they get home. Come on, I'm sure we can knock it out before 5 pm when they arrive," Addilyn tried.

"I just don't feel like doing it right now, okay? I'm tired and have a headache," Nate said with a slightly irritated tone. Addy moved over to Nate and felt his forehead for a fever but found nothing, she was wondering if he was getting sick.

"Why don't you go take a short nap, might make you feel better?" Addilyn offered as she went into the half bathroom and got one of the pain reliever pills for him, then a water bottle. Nate sighed as he took the pill then went upstairs to his room to lie down for a bit. Unfortunately, he had been tired all day and had not had much of an appetite so maybe a nap would help. Truthfully, Nate just wanted to talk to Harrison and Nate would attempt to call Harrison now but it was only 10 am in Georgia so Nate suspected that Harrison wouldn't be able to talk. Plus, Addilyn was over and if she knew that Nate had a secondary way to contact Harrison, the whole family would flip out over it and say that Harrison was keeping secrets again. In a sense, Nate was protecting his older brother from another fight like when Harrison had been home on leave from Kuwait.

Everyone was finally friends again, and Nate didn't want to destroy that. It was true too, Addilyn had gotten over Harrison and as far as anyone knew, she was starting to like someone else or so it seemed because she always looked so happy. Nate guessed that it was none of his business and as long as no one was fighting then life would be good. Also in the relationship department, Regina and Frankie were a thing shockingly. The two hooked up right after the New Year started and were seemingly happy. TJ and Syrus were still single but Nate figured that Syrus wasn't looking for a relationship right now and TJ was content with work at Berkys, which is the job that Harrison had gotten him. Nate finally let sleep take him around 3:35 pm.

 **[5:00 pm-Haddock Household]**

On time, Viviana and Spencer returned home and found Addilyn sitting on the couch and reading a book. Addy glanced over and smiled lightly as she put her placeholder in then closed the book before placing it away. "Welcome home, Mr. and Mrs. Haddock," she greeted lightly.

"Thank you, Addilyn. I trust that everyone was okay here?" Spencer asked.

"Where is Nathaniel?" Viviana said next.

"Everything has been fine here. I cleaned up the kitchen and living room a bit. Oh, Nate is upstairs in his room. I think he's still sleeping, I checked on him twenty minutes ago," Addilyn reported. Viviana and Spencer looked at one another now.

"It's five in the afternoon, why would he be sleeping?" Viviana questioned.

"Well, when Nate got off the bus, I asked how his day was and he never answered. I asked if he wanted a snack and said no, that he only wanted to talk to Harrison. I went on to tell him to get his homework done and he said he was tired and had a headache. He doesn't have a fever but I gave him one of the Tylenol's from the medicine cabinet down here and suggested he take a nap. Since then, he's been out like a light up there," Addilyn explained.

"Perhaps he's getting sick. A few other students mentioned a bug going around. Thank you, Addy," Viviana smiled to her.

"No trouble. Nate is a good kid, I love watching him," Addilyn grabbed her purse as Spencer handed her a ten dollar bill as he did for the five days that Addilyn got Nate off the bus and watched him until one of them got home to take over. "Same time Monday?" she asked.

"We'll see how Nate feels, I might keep him home if he gets worse. I'll let you know," Spencer informed. Addilyn nodded and exited the house, going to Stormfly and heading home.

"I'll go check on him," Viviana said.

"Nah, let him rest, Viv. We can work on dinner and wake him for that," Spencer said. Viviana nodded to her husband as the two put away their things, then started pulling out what they were going to make for dinner.

 **[Two Weeks Later-5/13/2016]**

Nate didn't know what was wrong with him, but it got progressively worse over two weeks from the first day coming home from school where he told Addilyn he was tired and had a headache. Nate's overall symptoms seemed to be exhaustion, no energy, barely any appetite, and vomiting at random. Thankfully, all those instances had been at school when Nate hardly made it to the bathroom in time. Among all that, he always seemed to have a headache, sweating at random, a small fever, coughing, and slight joint and chest pains. The time now was 11am, his lunch hour and all he wanted to do was talk to Harrison about how he felt. Checking the time, Nate knew it would be 6 am in the US. Surely, Harrison was awake at this hour. Pulling up the Skype conversation, Nate typed out a message to his brother about being sick and in pain, then Nate waited for a response.

After five minutes, Harrison replied. **=Go 2 nurse & rest. If worse, go home then 2 dr. In meetin, luv u=**

Well, it was something at least. Nate moved down the hall to the nurse's office and let her know he didn't feel good and she let him lay down through lunch and the period following that. Of course, Nate ended up throwing up, but taking the bus home and Addilyn was there as always to get him. Nate went right to sleep on the couch within ten minutes. Addilyn worried if he was all right; she was about to message Spencer about it when the landline rang.

"Haddock Residence," she answered.

" _Hello. Is the parent of guardian of Nathaniel there, please?"_ asked a male voice.

"May I ask who is calling?" Addilyn questioned.

" _This is the principal of Berkville Middle School, Conner Bradley,"_ the man replied.

"Well, I'm Nate's babysitter and emergency contact, Addilyn Hofferson. Mr. and Mrs. Haddock are out right now. Can I take a message?" Addilyn inquired.

" _Nathaniel's teachers, the nurse, and myself are quite concerned about how sick he is. The teachers report that Nate leaves classes at least twice to use the restroom these past two weeks and fellow classmates have been sent to check on him after ten minutes, claiming that Nathaniel is groaning in pain or throwing up. The nurse witnesses this today as well stating that Nate looks very pale and had a fever of 100.6 when he came to her at lunch. I feel that he should see his pediatrician as soon as possible,"_ Mr. Bradley informed.

"I see. I'll let his parents know, Mr. Bradley, thank you," Addilyn put the phone down on the cradle afterward and looked at Nate before dialing Spencer to tell him right away about what the principal said about Nate being sick at school.

 **[Tuesday, May 17** **th** **, 2016-1:45 pm; Berkville Pediatrics]**

The earliest appointment available for Nate to get seen by his pediatrician, Dr. Natalie Groves was today. Spencer took the day off to make sure Nate got there because after hearing about what the school reported, Viviana and Spencer were able to see how sick Nate was. Spencer sat in the chair by the window was Dr. Groves looked over Nate and listened to him tell her everything he'd been feeling over the last two weeks. Natalie had Nate remove his shirt as she ran her fingers over his midsection, back, neck, and more before she stepped back.

"Nathaniel, where did you get these bruises?" Natalie asked.

"Huh? I don' know. I haven't been in any fights or knocked into anything," Nate replied tiredly. Spencer saw concern on the doctor's face.

"What is it, Dr. Groves?" Spencer asked.

"Mr. Haddock, with everything I am seeing, I don't believe this is just some illness. I feel it is much worse and I'd like your permission to admit Nathaniel to the hospital immediately for further testing," Natalie informed. Nate was scared but in too much pain to react much. However, he saw his father tense up with worry.

"You have my permission; just…find out what's wrong with my son, please? I'll call my wife and meet you there," Spencer informed as Natalie nodded. After that, everything seemed to happen fast. Nate was transported to the hospital in Archian City, an hour away, via EMT van while Spencer met them there with Viviana. The time on arrival was about 3:15 pm, and Nate was taken right away for testing as his parents could only wait for answers from Natalie who was overseeing everything with another doctor on staff.

 **[Two Hours Later-5:15 pm]**

Dr. Groves approached the Haddock parents with another doctor beside her, a male. Viviana and Spencer stood quickly with worry for their youngest son's condition update.

"Mr. and Mrs. Haddock, this is a close colleague of mine and will be taking over the care for your son, Nate. This is Doctor Emmett Eretson," Natalie introduced.

"A pleasure to meet you, doctor. I'm Nathaniel's father, Spencer and this is my wife, Viviana. Can you…tell us if our son is all right?" Spencer asked as calmly as he could manage. The male doctor stood at height of six foot four inches with dark brown hair pulled back into a small pony-tail and had light brown eyes. The man couldn't have been older then twenty-five. Finally, Emmett looked sympathetically at the parents.

"Mr. and Mrs. Haddock, I'm afraid there is no easy way to say this, but after seeing everything and the blood tests I had run on Nathaniel confirming mine and Doctor Groves's suspicions, I regretfully inform you that your son has cancer," said Doctor Eretson. For Spencer and Viviana, time seemed to freeze as the words ' _your son has cancer'_ ripped through and left them in utter shock, worry, sadness and knowing full well that this was a parent's worst fear.


	31. The Search Begins

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; Harrison X Briana_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! In addition, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character Ella (Eira) Solveig. She belongs to a good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

31) The Search Begins

Spencer and Viviana stood there with wide eyes and shock taking over as they attempted to process the news that their youngest child had cancer. How did anyone even begin to process such information!? Nathaniel was merely thirteen years old, having just turned so in February and now he had cancer? It had to be a mistake; the doctors HAD to be wrong. Spencer and Viviana struggled to remain standing as Natalie and Emmett assisted them in sitting down in the chairs right behind them. Spencer was first to calm himself down enough to speak with Natalie and Emmett.

"I-I don't understand this. A-Are you certain?" Spencer asked.

"One hundred percent, Mr. Haddock. I had the lab run the tests three times to ensure we were correct. If you would like, we can move this to my office and I can tell you more about the type of cancer and the plan to treat your son," Emmett offered. Spencer forced himself to stand, and then help his wife up. Natalie helped Viviana stay balanced while the four of them moved to Emmett's office on the third floor. Spencer and Viviana took a seat in the provided chairs as Emmett sat down on his side of the desk and put the folder down.

"How much can you tell us about the cancer? What will be his treatment? How long will he have to be here for?" Viviana whimpered while holding Spencer's hand tightly as Natalie brought over the box of tissues for her.

"Nathaniel has Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia; it is the most common type childhood cancer," Emmett started.

"And what is that, doctor?" Spencer asked.

"Wait, where is…our son right now? We haven't been told anything since he was transported here," Viviana remarked. "I want everything, from the beginning, please?" she asked.

"Upon arriving from Berkville Pediatric Care with Dr. Groves, Nathaniel was taken to the Pediatric Ward and that is where the samples were collected and then taken to the lab for testing. After we confirmed it was cancer, we moved him to the Pediatric Oncology Ward. From there we ran CT and MRI scans, as well a bone marrow biopsy and lumbar puncture, which is a spinal tap. We used all this to determine the type of cancer Nathaniel has," Emmett enlightened gently as he understood what a sensitive and upsetting matter this was to all parents who discovered their child had cancer.

"Is that where Nate is now?" Spencer inquired.

"Yes. Nathaniel is resting in the Pediatric Oncology Ward on this floor in isolation," Natalie informed.

"Why is he in isolation?" Viviana wondered nervously.

"It's part of the cancer, ma'am. I will explain everything and answer any questions you may have," Emmett said to them.

"Alright, tell us, please, doctor?" Viviana insisted.

"This is a cancer of the bone marrow where there is an overgrowth of immature, abnormal white blood cells that cause the bone marrow to fail and can infiltrate tissues. Your son has signs of anemia along with his tiredness and very low blood counts. There are signs of bleeding due to lack of platelets, the part of the blood that causes clotting and susceptibility to infection. Though. his white cell count in fact is extremely high, the cells are all cancerous and incapable of fighting infection, which is why he is in isolation," Emmett explained as Viviana buried her head against Spencer's chest, whimpering for Nate.

"Nathaniel's enlarged lymph glands, liver and spleen are also due to infiltration by the cancerous blood cells," Natalie added in softly as Vivian wiped her eyes and blew her nose.

"What are our treatment options, Doctor Eretson?" Spencer asked.

"Our goal is to put the cancer into remission. We need to give him supportive care with transfusions of red cells and platelets, fluids and drugs, a central IV line and prophylactic antibiotics to prevent life threatening infections due his weakened immune system." Natalie stated softly while offering a comforting hand on Viviana's shoulder, rubbing it a little.

"He is going to need to start chemotherapy urgently and I can't lie to you, Mr. and Mrs. Haddock; this is going to be brutal. Nathaniel is going to require multiple rounds of chemo to get him into remission and then consolidate that. In addition, he will need direct chemotherapy and radiotherapy to his central nervous system since CNS is common. Once in remission, he will need maintenance chemotherapy for two years. Most common sites of relapse are blood, CNS and testis," Emmett continued the explanation.

Spencer held Viviana close to him as she cried. "How brutal, Dr. Eretson?" Spencer asked while trying to stay strong for his wife.

"There are a range of side effects that can occur in chemo, Mr. Haddock. Some of the more common ones are hair loss, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, appetite changes or loss of it, diarrhea, constipation, easily bruising and bleeding, infection, mouth, tongue, and throat sores-possible pain with swallowing. There is also nerve and muscle problems-tingling, numbness or pain. There could be weight, urine, and bladder changes," Emmett began to tell them.

"Trouble focusing and mood changes. He is likely to become infertile so we will arrange for the fertility specialists to see him this afternoon to discuss tissue banking for the future," Natalie tried to reassure the worried parents.

"Oh, Gods. Nathaniel is only thirteen, Spencer. How is he taking all this?" Viviana cried into her husband's chest.

"We've already told Nathaniel about his diagnosis, he demanded to know what was making him so sick," Emmett informed lightly. "All Nate has asked for is his brother to be here," he added.

"When can we see him? I want to see my son," Viviana demanded.

"I can take you to see Nate, but there are some rules. Only one visitor at a time with that person wearing masks, gloves, aprons, possibly surgical gowns and of course, no one who is ill may enter the room," Emmett stated.

"And will the chemo cure him, doctor?" Spencer asked.

"Unfortunately, Mr. Haddock, we don't know what the next step is until we see how Nate responds to the treatments. Hopefully, it will be a positive response and we'll have that cancer in remission soon. It will not be an easy road we travel, but I promise that we will do all we can for Nathaniel," Emmett informed. Spencer nodded as they all stood and were led to Nate's room; number 352, which was right by the nurse and doctor station.

 **[Nathaniel's Hospital Room; # 352-Pediatric Oncology Ward]**

"You go first, Viv," Spencer told her. Vivian nodded as she put on everything she was instructed to before sanitizing her hands and walking into the room, seeing Nate sitting in the bed and all hooked up to the monitors and IV lines. It hurt her but she had to be strong for her son, so he would not give up and keep fighting through all this. Vivian made her way to his bedside and sat down in the one available chair; Nate kept his eyes out the window, but knew she was there.

"Nate?" Vivian asked.

"Hi, Mom," Nate replied. "I-I take you know what's wrong with me?" he added.

Vivian forced a nod and stroked Nate's autumn colored hair, little lighter than Harrison's but still the same green eyes as his father and brother. "Your father and I both do. Don't worry, it's all going to be okay. You just focus on getting better," Vivian said confidently.

"Does…Harrison know?" Nate inquired.

"Your father is calling him right now and I'm sure he'll be here as soon as he can," Viviana told him. Nate nodded as closed his eyes. "You just rest now, I'll send Dad in and keep trying to call your brother," she added before kissing Nate's forehead through the mask, then leaving the room. "Any luck contacting Harrison?"

"No. Same as usual. Cell phone goes to voicemail and he his Skype is set to away," Spencer replied. "How's our son?"

"He looks miserable and exhausted, I told him to rest and that I'd send you in. I'll keep trying Harrison," Vivian told Spencer as she got off all the things she was wearing and Spencer changed into a set of his own, then going into the room to see his son. As expected, Spencer fought hard not to cry at the sight of his youngest son lying in the hospital bed, weak and pale. Spencer sat down in the chair and just stared at Nate. Outside the room with Viviana, she had tried to call Harrison multiple times but there was no answer from him on his mobile or Skype. The worst part about all this was Viviana and Spencer knew that Nate needed all the support he could get and the one person Nate wanted to be there was currently unreachable and a eighteen-hour or longer plane ride away. All they could do was hope that Harrison got the voicemails and came rushing home when he learned his little brother was in the hospital.

 **[June 20, 2016-Archian City General Hospital; 3** **rd** **Floor]**

It had been a full month since the diagnosis of cancer was given to young Nathaniel Haddock, treatment began right away to put the cancer in remission. Unfortunately, Nate suffered severe vomiting, hair loss, diarrhea, and utter exhaustion. The fertility specialist had come later that first day to talk about the options for the inevitable infertility that Nate would end up having. The decision was to do a Testicular Biopsy, then freeze the testicle in liquid nitrogen; the doctors would be able to produce sperm from it later on when Nate went to have kids, but that was a long way off since he was only thirteen years old. All of Harrison's friends and army buds knew about what was going on too, everyone was offering their undying support for Nate to pull through. Today, Nate's labs should be in to tell them how the remission process was going so everyone had come out by 3:00 pm to hear the news. The only one not present was Harrison because no one was able to get a hold of him so far.

Finally, at 3:35 pm, Doctor Emmett approached them with a file in hand. "I sincerely apologize for the long wait. I had an emergency surgery for one of the other patients on this floor," he stated gently.

"Its alright, are Nate's labs in?" Spencer asked quickly.

"They are, I have them right here," Emmett nodded once.

"Well, doctor, has Nate's cancer been put into remission, will he be okay now?" Viviana asked with her hands clasped together pleadingly for good news. Emmett sighed and shook his head. Viviana's heart dropped into her stomach as Spencer forced himself to sit down.

"I'm afraid the results of Nate's latest labs are not as good as we had hoped Mr. and Mrs. Haddock. Nathaniel is not really responding to the chemo as he should and his recent scans show he has new nodes in his mediastinum. We can switch to alternate therapies, but we discussed that Nate had several high-risk features at presentation. And I think that the combination of those with his suboptimal response to first line chemo means we need to consider ablative therapy and bone marrow transplantation," Emmett informed them. Spencer's face was covered by his hands, the father had not been taking all this well while Viviana was doing her best to stay strong.

"What does that mean?" Addilyn inquired softly.

"It means that Nate is getting worse and his current chemotherapy isn't working. We need to move to bone marrow transplantation. Therefore, we have to give him extremely toxic chemo and radiotherapy to wipe out his bone marrow. Nathaniel will need a suitable donor to restore his immune system, otherwise he will die of an infection sooner or later," Emmett stated softly.

"How soon can you do the transplant!?" Viviana exclaimed.

"I'm afraid it's not that easy, Mrs. Haddock. We have to find Nate a match first. We will need to check your tissue type urgently. It might be easier to get him a donor if it comes from a family member or friend who is a match, otherwise, we're stuck with a waiting list and Nathaniel might not make it that long," Emmett explained.

"Do it then. Test me, his father, I can call his grandparents too," Viviana instructed.

"Us too, we're all willing to give it a shot," Olivia informed as the others nodded in agreement.

"We'll get started right away," Emmett said firmly with a nod and so the search began to find a match to be Nate's bone marrow transplant donor.


	32. I'm Here Now

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; Harrison X Briana_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! In addition, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character Ella (Eira) Solveig. She belongs to a good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

32) I'm Here Now

 **[July 18th** **, 2016-Archian General Hospital; 3** **rd** **Floor]**

Monday the 18th of July marking five long weeks that Nathaniel had been waiting desperately for a bone marrow transplant. Sadly neither of his parents or Harrison's friends were a match for him. Nate waited day after day for a donor from the list but it was not looking good for him. Nate was weak, sick, and hated all of this going on. Yet, with all the people he had supporting him to fight as hard as he could, Harrison was not there. That was the only person that Nate wanted to be visiting him, telling him that it would all be okay and to keep fighting. However, the family and friends had no luck in contacting Harrison. In truth, most of them gave up by week three of no callbacks and Harrison's Skype said he was offline and not taking messages at this time. Of course, it was beginning to anger the group of old school friends that Harrison was not answering when the situation was this serious. The army friends had tried as well, but Harrison wasn't picking up for anyone it seemed.

Nate's condition worsened, he was deteriorating slowly and getting weaker with each passing day. Nate's hair was gone from the chemo among all the other side effects due to the medication that was supposed to be helping and apparently, Nate's body just was not accepting it as well as everyone hoped he would when all this had begun in May. To most of them, it was still unreal how fast everything happened. It started as a little exhaustion and now escalated to Nate being confined to an isolated room with one visitor at a time while waiting for a transplant donor to save his life. What was worse, Dr. Emmett said that Nate didn't have much longer. Even with all the modern day drugs to keep Nate alive, it was not going to do any good without the transplant. Emmett confirmed that Nathaniel had until the end of August at the best before he passed away. Everyone was getting desperate to find a matching donor for Nathaniel and all hope seemed to be lost. Viviana was beginning to fall apart even though she had held firm this long.

"We gotta do something," Frankie said as Spencer was in with Nate now and the rest of them were sitting in the waiting area, trying to stay out of the way.

"Like what, babe? None of us are matches for Nate and the Haddocks asked that we don't tell anyone outside of this group of people," Regina sighed.

"Still. Nate has only been asking for Harrison, maybe we can find him?" Addilyn suggested.

"You would have to go to the states for that, and it's a process to get into the military base. Even for us, we can't go because we aren't stationed there. We've tried multiple times to contact Harrison, but we get nothing," Dexter informed.

"I don't understand how Harrison can go this long without checking in," Syrus mentioned now.

"Because he's not required to check in with Hagebak or Belmore because Harrison for all intensive purposes works as an American soldier so he reports to Wright at Fort Benning," Trevor reminded.

"Yeah, but those six months are up on that whole fury family thing should be over and he should be back by now," Chelsea stated.

"Maybe something else came up?" Olivia tried.

"You mean like his girlfriend who he didn't want to leave behind? From what I recall, even when the six months were up, it just meant the babies would be able to fly with proper training. It didn't ensure he would come back because Harrison said that Briana would have to travel with him. The family cannot be split apart until the offspring bonded to a human or they reach eight years of age," Addilyn scoffed.

"You honestly think that Harrison is ignoring us because he knows we want him to come back and he doesn't want to tell us that he's staying since Briana doesn't want to move?" TJ inquired.

"It's my best guess and we all know Harrison is a people pleaser," Addy shrugged to them. "All I know is Nate doesn't have more than a month left according to that doctor. If we don't get a hold of Harrison, by the time he does get to come back, his brother is going to be gone without that transplant," she added sadly while they looked into the window of Nate's hospital room to see Spencer there still, sitting at his youngest son's bedside and talking to him.

"All we can do is keep trying to call him and pray to Thor someone gets through," Viviana said lightly as everyone watched Spencer get up and exit the room. It would be Viviana's turn next to sit with Nate and by 7 pm, the rest of the gang would go home because there was not much else they could do. It didn't matter who sat with Nate, the only person he wanted beside him was Harrison. Viviana comforted Spencer for a few minutes, then dressed herself up to enter and went to sit with Nate.

 **[Nate's Room]**

Viviana stood by the window as she noticed that Nate looked like he was asleep, the air tube still on his face to help him breathe normally. Nate was hooked up to so many things; the poor boy could not even get out of bed to use the bathroom. Nate was stuck using a bedpan to relieve himself for number one and two, he was always embarrassed to use it and then call the nurse to have it disposed of and then himself cleaned up. Nate was connected to oxygen due to it being hard to breathe, IV lines for fluids to keep him hydrated from the throwing up. In addition, he was getting blood and platelet transfusions and on monitors to watch his heartbeat, pulse, and blood pressure. It hurt Vivian to see her youngest in such a state and it tore her apart to know that Nathaniel could die in a month without the transplant.

"Mom?" Nate asked in a weak voice, a little raspy too.

Vivian walked over to her son's side and smiled lightly, carefully holding his hand in hers. "Hi, baby," she greeted gently. "How was your rest?"

"I wasn't…sleeping, just had my eyes closed," Nate admitted softly.

"How do you feel?" Viviana stroked his forehead.

"Tired and nauseous. I-Is Harrison here?" Nate wondered. Viviana bit her bottom lip and looked down.

"No one has been able to reach him, son. However, we're still trying, I promise. You let us worry about that, you just keep your strength up," Viviana assured as she hugged him carefully and he returned it. Nate sighed and looked towards the window.

"You don't have to pretend like it's going to be okay, Mom. I know I'm dying and if there's…no transplant for me, I'm fine with it. I just…want to see Harrison before I go, that's all I want," Nate relaxed as his breathing evened out and he was fast asleep. Viviana tried to hold back her tears as she kissed his forehead before she left the room.

 **[Hospital Waiting Area]**

Viviana came out and took off all the protective wear as she wiped her eyes and sat down while burying her face in her hands, trying not to sob uncontrollably. "Mrs. Haddock, what's wrong?" Regina asked lightly.

"Nate knows he's dying and said that's fine with him, all he wants to do is see Harrison before he goes," Viviana informed them sadly. The group looked at one another and sighed, a number of times they tried to reach Harrison and ended up with nothing.

"Nate isn't gonna die. Someone will come through as a match, Emmett came by and said that Nate is second in line for a transplant," Syrus said.

"We're running out of time," Spencer sighed as he tried to console his wife. "Come, Nate is resting, let's go get something from the cafeteria and we'll continue to try and contact Harrison," he stated. Not long after, all of them left the waiting area to go to the first-floor dining area to get some dinner and a cup of coffee.

 **[Nate's Room]**

Nate waited for them to all leave before he pulled his mother's cell phone out from under the blanket. Yes, he'd taken it from her in the hug since she left it on the table beside him. Nate knew that none of them knew how to reach Harrison the way he did but Nate promised he would not give the others the number, so he'd call Harrison himself. Nate dialed the number slowly and turned his head to hide the phone from the sight of passing nurses and doctors. Two rings in and there was a pickup.

" _Mom, how did you get this number?"_ Harrison answered.

"Ha-Harr…ison…It's Nate, I-I took Mom's phone to call you because they won't let me have mine," Nate replied before coughing.

" _Nate? What's going on, you sound horrible and what is all the beeping in the background?"_ Harrison asked quickly.

"I'm…in Archian General Hospital…Ro-Room 352 on the third floor," Nate responded while trying not to cry.

" _Nate! What's wrong, talk to me!?"_ Harrison asked quickly. _"Why…are you in the hospital?"_

"I-I have…can…cer and I-I'm dying…" Nate managed, he saw a nurse coming towards the room.

" _What?! Why didn't anyone tell me this!"_ Harrison exclaimed.

"I need…you, Harrison…I need my…big brother. Please? Please, come home?" Nate asked weakly.

" _I'm on my way. I will be there tomorrow, Nate. I promise. Keep holding on, I'm coming for you. You're not going to die, I swear it."_ Harrison vowed. _"I love you, kiddo,"_ he added.

"I love…you too, Harry," Nate managed before he ended the call, then deleted the number he called before placing the phone back on the table. Nate quickly closed his eyes and made it look like he was sleeping when the nurse came in to check his vitals. Nate knew how much trouble he could get into for what he did, but he needed his brother.

 **[The Next Afternoon; 4:50 pm]**

Once again, everyone was gathered at the hospital to sit in and visit with Nate, try to keep his spirits high about a donor coming through for him. At this point, everyone was losing hope. Every day that passed, Nate was getting worse and seemed at peace with his fate. Of course, little did anyone know that Harrison had been contacted by Nate and would be arriving today and that's why Nate kept telling everyone that he only wanted one person to visit him and no one understood what that meant because they knew Harrison knew nothing about all this. However, everyone was beyond shocked when the elevator doors opened and out rushed Harrison in full uniform still.

"Harrison?!" Addilyn said in disbelief as everyone turned quick to see him there. Harrison raced over to their location, seeing Nate in the room from the window, Harrison's heart tightened. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for my little brother, so step aside," Harrison stated as he took off his outer coat and beret while grabbing a set of the stuff to change into.

"Wait, Harrison. You don't know what's going on," Viviana started and Harrison glared.

"Nate has cancer. And yes, I know already. I flew all night with only a few breaks to get here. I don't care about anything else except seeing my brother because he asked for me," Harrison growled out as he moved past them and towards his little brother's room and entered it. The group instantly swarmed the window to see the interaction between the two. There were a lot of questions theywanted to be answered, but for now, the only thing that mattered was that Harrison did get told somehow and he made it to see his brother.

 **[Inside Nate's Room]**

Harrison had sanitized his hands with the machine just on the inside of the door, and then he made his way to Nate's bedside on the right. Harrison sat down and touched Nate's hand, as if on queue, Nate woke slowly and blinked to bring his vision into focus as he saw Harrison's green eyes peering at him.

"Ha-Harry?" Nate asked.

"It's me, kiddo," Harrison replied gently.

"Y-You made…it," Nate gave a happy smile.

"I told you that I would come for you anytime you needed me, buddy. I made you that promise," Harrison said lightly as he hugged his brother carefully.

"At least…now I can go in peace," Nate panted a little.

"No, no. Do not talk like that, Nate. You will not die because big brother is here and I am going to do whatever it takes to make you better. I promise you that, Nate and you know I don't break mine." Harrison told him while bringing his hand up, Nate smiled and did the same as he started crying as the two connected, the pressed their foreheads together. "Everything is going to be okay because I'm here now,"


	33. Perfect Match

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; Harrison X Briana_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! In addition, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character Ella (Eira) Solveig. She belongs to a good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

33) Perfect Match

 _{Harrison's POV}_

 **[Monday, 7/18/2016-3** **rd** **Floor of Archian General Hospital]**

I don't remember much after getting the phone call from Nate. I know stated I was going leave of absence for a family emergency right away, then told Briana while packing. After that, I hit the sky with Toothless to get back to Arc Isle as fast as we could go without tiring out my draconic friend. Here I am now sitting in Nate's hospital room with him and I'd never been happier to see his smiling face when he saw me next to him. I promised Nate I would fix this, somehow. I wasn't going to let him die, I would never forgive myself. I had to do whatever it took to save his life. I still didn't know all the details, but I would get them after Nate fell asleep and I demanded from my family and friends why the hell nobody contacted me to let me know my little brother has cancer! I had my reasons for being unable to make contact the normal ways, and if that ended up being their excuse then I was going to let them have it.

"You promise I won't die?" Nate asked me.

"On my life, buddy. It's okay, get some rest. I know you're tired, I'll be right outside the room if you need me," I told him. Nate smiled and nodded as he closed his eyes and soon slipped to sleep ten minutes later. I knew he did because his hand fell from mine. I got up and left the room, instantly hugged by my mother and father. "Will you get off of me?" I remarked as they let go, a little taken aback by my tone as I took the protective gear and tossed it away. I was aware that it had to be changed _every time_ we entered and exited the isolation room.

"We're glad you're here, son. Nate has been asking for you," Spencer said calmly.

"Cut the happy to see me shit and someone start explaining all this. I know he has cancer and I know he's dying, what's the rest?" I asked.

"Well, maybe if you'd learn to answer your phone once in a while, you would have known that Nate was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia back at the end of May after being sick for two weeks straight," Addilyn stated.

"Don't get a tude with me, Addy. I couldn't use my phone or Skype as I was beyond busy with missions," I scoffed at her.

"Missions? What are you talking about, Harrison?" Trevor inquired.

"I'm not answering anything about me until someone tells me about Nate's condition," I crossed my arms over my chest.

"I believe I might be able to fill in some blanks for you," came the voice of someone unfamiliar to me, I turned to see the tall figure with brown hair and eyes standing behind me. "Hi there, I'm Emmett Eretson. I've been Nathaniel's doctor since this began at the end of May. I assume you are his older brother, Harrison Haddock. Nate talks about you all the time during treatments," spoke the man named Emmett. I shook his hand.

"That would be me. Pleased to meet you, doctor. What can you tell me about my lil brother's cancer?" I asked. Emmett began to explain everything to me about Nate being sick for two weeks, being taken to his pediatrician, then ending up at the hospital for more testing. The diagnoses was ALL or Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. And vigorous chemo therapy began right away, but after a month, Nate wasn't getting better.

"It was decided that Nathaniel's best chance at survival is to have a bone marrow transplant. Unfortunately, everyone we've tested has not been a match and Nate doesn't have much time left to wait for a donor off the list, he's second or third in line right now," Emmett finished his explanation.

"What about me? I haven't been tested yet because I just arrived today, I've been stationed in Afghanistan since May 15th, 2016," I said as I listened to my family and friends gasp in shock. "I just got back three days ago, then got the call yesterday that I was needed here, and well, here I am,"

"YOU'VE BEEN WHERE FOR THE LAST TWO MONTHS?!" they shouted in harsh whispers.

"Zip it," I mumbled. "Test me, Dr. Eretson. You can do it right now," I told him.

"You're supposed to fast for at least eight hours," Emmett stated.

"I haven't had anything but water since 5 am this morning," I responded. Emmett smiled as he called over one of the nurses who was going around to do blood work from other patients.

"Tori, would you be so kind to take a sample from Nathaniel Haddock's elder brother and rush it to the lab?" Emmett asked. The woman smiled with a nod as she had me sit down on one of the benches and tie off my left arm with the red band, then make a fist as she found my vein and pushed a needle in. After adding the small tube, the blood flowed easy and she untied the band and had me relax my fist. When it was over, she pulled the tube first, then covered the spot with some small gauze pads and taped it off before pulling the needle out.

"I'll hand the rounds off Dawn and take this to the lab myself, Dr. Eretson," Tori stated firmly.

"Thank you, Tori, and have them hurry on it please," Emmett replied to her. Tore nodded and made her way to the elevator with the tube of my blood in her gloved hands. "I'll let you know as soon as I get the results, you should probably get something to eat before you pass out and we have to admit you, Mr. Haddock,"

"I will copy that order, doctor. Thank you," I told him as he walked off with a smile.

"Start talking, Harrison," my mother demanded.

"I can't go into detail about it or it's my ass," I sighed.

"Tell us what you can then," Syrus stated.

"I've basically already told you all I can. I got temporarily deployed to Afghanistan in May, we just got back three days ago and then I got the call to come here because Nate needed me," I said with closed eyes.

"Why did you get deployed? You said you were running missions before the doctor came over, I don't understand. We're your team, Harrison, we're supposed to go with you for that kind of stuff," Chelsea frowned. At that moment, Aaron and Glenn hurried as I got to my feet and saluted them.

"Lad, there you are. Major General Wright said you would be back on Arc Isle about this time due to a family emergency involving your brother so we came here. Are ya alright?" Glenn asked.

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?" I inquired.

"Wright told us that you got hurt while deployed," Aaron informed.

"Oh, that!" I said as I moved my right sleeve up and revealed it to be wrapped up in a light dressing. "Stitches come out in two weeks. I'm good, don't worry," I told them.

"Wait a second. You two knew he was deployed?" Trevor questioned slowly. Aaron and Glenn faced him and the others, and then nodded.

"Wright needed our permission to send him in the first place. Unfortunately, it was top-secret operations and Haddock cannot talk about it until we clear him. That is an order to leave it be soldiers," Aaron reminded firmly.

"Yes, sir," Trevor, Dexter, Olivia, Syrus, and Chelsea responded to their CO formally.

"Good. Haddock, how did it go?" Aaron asked.

"Objective achieved, sirs," I replied to them.

"Well done, Harrison. Take some time with your family but do remember to-," Glenn began.

"Relax. It's taken care of, just keep me posted on the situation at hand and let me know when it's time," I said.

"That we will, Sergeant Haddock. Excellent job as always, we knew we could count on you," Aaron smiled as the two began walked away.

"That's why I haven't been answering calls for two months. I wasn't intentionally trying to ignore everyone, but where I was had no signal and no wifi, all we got there are radio communications. For future reference though, if you need to get a hold of me that badly, call whichever base I'm stationed at. If you had called Fort Benning, they would have gotten me the message," I sighed looking into Nate's window to see him still asleep.

"Okay, that makes sense but there is still one thing I don't get," Regina began as I glanced at her.

"That would be?" I insisted she continued.

"Who told you about Nate being sick since we never contacted anyone at Fort Benning to deliver the message?" TJ finished his twin's question.

I sighed. "Nate called me," I replied.

"H-How was Nate able to contact you. There's no phone in that room and he doesn't have his cell," Spencer asked.

"Nate used Mom's cell when she left it in his room yesterday. Nate said that you, Mom, left your cell phone on his bedside table. When you hugged him, he took it and stashed it under the sheets. After you believed he fell asleep and walked away, he called the number I gave him in February to contact me if he ever needed me," I explained.

"Wait a second. You're saying that Nate has known how to contact you this whole time?" Viviana asked.

"Well, he still wouldn't have gotten through when I was deployed, but yes. Nate has my mobile work number, it's a direct line to this," I held up an old-fashioned razor flip phone. "Issued to all trainers at Fort Benning. I gave Nate the number to this phone on his thirteenth birthday, and I told him that if he ever needed me, I was only a phone call away. Nate called me yesterday, said that he needed me because he was in the hospital with cancer and dying. So, I told Major General Wright there was a family emergency, let Bri know, and then I took off within the hour to get back here,"

"Unbelievable," Addilyn stated. "So once again, you're hiding information about yourself. We've been trying to call you for weeks, fearing that by the time we finally contacted you, Nate would already be gone. And all this time, Nate has known how to get a hold of you because you gave him the only link to calling you!"

"I was only allowed to give it to one person and Nate is the only one out of any of you who wouldn't use it to call me needlessly. Nate and I have a strong brotherly bond, all right? I knew if any of you had it, you would be harassing me day and night about why I'm too busy to talk. Let me guess, you all thought I was just ignoring you? And now you feel like crap because you realize I was deployed in a war zone doing top-secret shit for two months. I gave that number to Nate because Nate knew to only call that number for an emergency and by the bolt of Thor, that's exactly what he did," I finished as I saw them look down, except for my army friends, they knew I wasn't mad at them.

"I can…come back later if you're in the middle of something?" Dr. Emmett said as I noticed him among the group.

"It's fine, Dr. Eretson. Are the results in?" Spencer asked quickly.

"Yes, I have them right here. Harrison, I was curious, how long are you here for?" Emmett wondered.

"I can be here as long as necessary; I just have to update my bosses. Why?" I asked looking at him.

"I asked because, by some grace of Odin, young man, you are a perfect match for your brother," Emmett smiled broadly.

"I-I am?" I asked in shock. Emmett nodded. "So, I can be his donor?"

"If that is your desire to do so, I just have to have you sign a couple of things first and we'll the procedure up tomorrow afternoon. I'm sure you know what it entails?" Emmett asked.

"I don't even care what you have to do, doc. You just told me I'm a match and can save my brother's life with it, I have no arguments or questions, just do it," I told the man.

"Well, normally it would take a few days to get through this process. However, since you're in the military, I'm sure you in peak form and it wouldn't take much to get your records from your CO?" Emmett questioned.

"Not at all. I can call them right now and have it faxed over to you," I nodded to him.

"We'll cover that in my office. I just want you to be aware of the side effects you could encounter after the procedure, my friend," Emmett informed.

"Doctor Eretson, I don't care. I'm in peak form and I can save my brother, I can deal with any side effects that come on. Please? I don't want to waste any time, I don't like seeing my brother like that. Let me do this, I'd do anything for him just as I know he would do it for me in this situation," I reasoned. Finally, Emmett nodded with another smiled as he motioned for me to follow him to his office, leaving the others in utter shock.

 _{Normal POV}_

Not a one of them could believe the news. After five weeks of being let down constantly about them not being matches or finding a donor in enough time, Harrison of all people ended up the one who could do it because he was a perfect match.


	34. All Be Okay

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; Harrison X Briana_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! In addition, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character Ella (Eira) Solveig. She belongs to a good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

34) All Be Okay

 _{Normal POV}_

 **[7/18/2016-Archian General-5:30 pm]**

The Haddock parents and Harrison's friends stood there around the waiting area close to Nate's room as they were still trying to settle with the recent update regarding the thirteen-year-old who lay resting in his isolated room and completely unaware about Harrison being a match for a bone marrow donation. It was surreal and hard to process. After five weeks of nothing but more disappointment that no one was a match and trying to accept that Nathaniel would die before his turn reached on the donor registry, Harrison shows up unexpectedly and ends up being a _perfect_ _match_ as the doctor worded it. More shocking was for them to discover that Harrison came at Nate's request and the reason no one else was able to reach Harrison for two months was that Harrison was in Afghanistan on top-secret operations that even Aaron and Glenn have stated not to harass Harrison about.

There was a lot of confusion even after Harrison's explanation about everything. So, no one could reach Harrison because he was deployed with no internet access and no cellular signal. It made sense now why the Skype status was offline and the phone was going to voicemail; because Harrison didn't have access to either. Also, as for how Harrison knew about Nate's cancer is because Nate snagged his mother's phone and called Harrison's work line the day before Harrison arrived and told him that he needed his big brother so Harrison came running, or rather, flying. At the moment, Harrison was in Dr. Eretson's office and filling out paperwork to be his little brother's bone marrow donor. Of course, Emmett was explaining to Harrison how everything would go and what to expect afterward. Harrison did not care about it; all he needed to do was call Major General Wright and update him. Emmett already said he had a piece of paper for the purpose of faxing over that Harrison was going to need at least three weeks on Arc Isle to make sure everything goes according to plan.

"It's a miracle. That's all I can call this, a miracle," Viviana stated as she sat down after breaking the prolonged silence between everyone.

"I will second that, Viv," Spencer nodded as he sat down beside her, holding his wife's hand in his and rubbing it comfortingly.

"I agree. Sure, there is still a lot of questions and confusion, but overall, Harrison did make it in time and the bonus is that he ended up being what Nate needed to survive. I guess their bond is that strong, Nate called his brother because he needed him and that is literally the truth too," Dexter informed.

"Without Harrison, Nate wouldn't have made it," Olivia nodded. All of them seemed to let out a relieved sigh, regardless of anything else, they knew Nate was going to be all right after this or that was the hope at least. Finally, Harrison exited the office with Emmett, the two of them shaking hands and smiling.

"Well, Mr. Haddock. All this is set for tomorrow at 9 am, so remember not to eat after 9 pm. Twelve hours fasting, only water," Emmett reminded.

"Got it, Doc. I'll call my CO right now," Harrison nodded as Emmett approached the family and friends while Harrison got out his cell phone and called Wright to update him.

"So, Nate and Harrison will both be okay after this, right?" Spencer asked.

"Well, it's still on the ropes even after the transplant. It will take time for the marrow to get into his system and make the changes. The procedure is tricky because Harrison's bone marrow is going to be replacing Nathaniel's immune system. That's why we needed a perfect match do this process, anything less than that means it could narrow the immune system, attack and kill the host, in this case, it would be young Nate," Dr. Eretson explained as the group gasped in fear. "But, not to worry because Harrison is, as I said, a perfect match," he added quickly to relax the worried family and friends.

"So how does this procedure work? How long until we know how things go?" Addilyn wondered.

"It starts with us putting Harrison under general anesthetic, and then the bone marrow is taken from the pelvic bones using large needles. The bone marrow looks like very thick blood. It is processed, cleaned up, and then given back by an infusion through the central line to Nate," Emmett informed.

"How will Harrison be after this?" Trevor inquired.

"The anesthetic will stay in effect up to two hours after the bone marrow collection and the donor is groggy for a few hours afterward, but Harrison could go home the same day. The most he will encounter is Back or Hip pain, Fatigue, Muscle pain, Headache, and Bruising at the collection site. Most donors can return to normal activities within a week of the procedure. All we do is make sure he doesn't feel anything, we insert the needles; take what we need. It takes one to two hours to do, then it is done," Emmett explained.

"What about for Nate's side of things?" Viviana asked.

"For Nathaniel, after the transplant, he has to stay in isolation until we see the white blood cell count improve, after that happens, we'll do everything else we have been with tests and be checking him out. There is never a way to know how recovery goes until after the transplant," Emmett told them. Harrison walked back over now, he was still on his phone though.

"Thank you, Major General. I'll update you as soon as I'm able to after the procedure and much appreciated on the allowed time off," Harrison smiled. "Talk to you soon, sir," after that, Harrison ended the call. "Wright just gave me a month to be here to make sure everything goes according to plan. He'll just need you to send over that paper, Dr. Eretson," he said.

"I will send it right now if you give me the fax number to his office, Harrison. You should go in the room and tell your brother the good news. He's starting to wake up," Emmett stated as Harrison wrote down the number for Emmett, then moved to the cart to get on the gear again before entering the room. Once inside, Harrison moved to Nate's bed and held his hand.

"Hey, how did you sleep?" Harrison asked him gently.

"Y-You're…still here. I-I thought I dreamed that," Nate admitted.

"I'm here, buddy. And guess what, I have good news too. They found you a donor and you're getting what you need tomorrow morning," Harrison told him as Nate's eyes widened in shock.

"R-Really? W-Who is it? Or am I not allowed to know because they are off the registry?" Nate wondered. Harrison held his little brother's hand tightly.

"It's me, Nate," Harrison informed. "Right after you fell asleep; Dr. Eretson told me everything about your cancer and needing a donor. I got myself tested and I am a perfect match for you. We're doing it tomorrow morning at 9 am," he explained.

"Y-You're really…my match and you're going to donate to me?" Nate asked, still in shock but overwhelm with emotion. Harrison leaned in and pressed his head to Nate's forehead.

"Of course I am. I promised that I would not let you die and everything was going to be okay now that I'm here. You are going to be just fine, little brother," Harrison replied. Nate could not control it, he let the tears fall from his green eyes as he hugged Harrison tightly, and Harrison, of course, returned it fully.

"Why would you do this for me? You're going to be sore and unable to work or ride Toothless…why would you give that up for a while for me?" Nate asked after the embrace was over. "I'm just your annoying brother,"

"I promised that I would always be here when you need me and I will hold to that vow until the day I die. And hey, this is what brothers are for," Harrison told him gently. Nate raised his hand weakly.

"Side by side or miles apart," Nate started with a small smile. Harrison connected his hand to Nate's.

"We'll always be brothers connected by the heart," Harrison finished as they hugged again.

 **[The Next Day; 7/19/2016]**

8:55 am on the dot, Harrison had been in with Nate since visiting hours started at 7 am. Viviana and Spencer learned that Harrison had been there that long from the doctor when they arrived with the group of friends to do all the visits before Harrison's procedure, but it seemed that Harrison beat them to it. Harrison and Nate were in his hospital room, laughing and smiling, no one knew what they were talking about, but it looked like the two were having fun so they didn't break it up by demanding for Harrison to get out so they could have a turn. After all, it was Harrison who was donating to save Nate's life and they guessed they could wait a bit until Harrison went in for the transplant to give to Nate.

"Mr. Haddock?" came Dr. Eretson's voice as the family and friends looked to see Emmett there and pressing a button on the wall by Nate's door. From the window, they could all see Harrison look their way. "It's time," Harrison nodded as he hugged Nate and the two connected hands. Harrison came out of the room and stood before Emmett.

"Let's do it," Harrison said. Emmett nodded as Harrison left his phone, wallet, and keys with his parents and then he walked off with Emmett. All anyone could do now was spent time with Nate and wait for the procedure to be over.

 **[Two Hours Later]**

For those two long hours, the group waited for news on Harrison. At some point in the remaining twenty minutes of the two-hour period, another doctor and few nurses went into Nate's room with some gear and it appeared that they set up the transplant and Nate was already receiving the bone marrow from Harrison. Finally, Emmett emerged while removing his gloves and mask, then the hat.

"Doctor! How was it? Is Harrison and Nate okay?" Viviana asked first after getting to her feet.

Emmett smiled too with a firm nod. "Yes, Mrs. Haddock. The procedure went as perfectly; Harrison will be coming out of the OR (Operating Room) in a few moments and placed in recovery over here. Of course, he's still unconscious, but should be up in a few hours. Once he's awake, alert, and able to eat, we'll discharge him," Emmett explained.

"And Nate?" Spencer inquired.

"Also doing just fine. The team has already set up the transplant and he is getting it," Emmett said as another doctor and two nurses were wheeling Harrison out on a bed; he looked so peaceful too. Once Harrison was in the recovery room and hooked up to monitors to keep an eye on him until he woke up, the nurses left leaving only Emmett in with the family and friends. "I have a few more rounds to make, but then I'll be back and explain more to you. For now, know that both of your sons are doing fine. You're all welcome to sit in Harrison's recovery room until he awakens," he informed before walking away with a smile.

The family and friends could do nothing again but wait. Everyone filed in and found a seat, at this time they would usually visit with Nate but he appeared to be sleeping through the transplant so it was best to leave him alone for the time being. Viviana and Spencer were closest to Harrison, Vivian was stroking his hair with a soft smile. One thing was for sure, Harrison would do anything for his little brother and no one could deny that brotherly bond Harrison mentioned after all this.

 **[Two More Hours Pass]**

Harrison was partially awake after two hours went by, he only knew because he caught a quick glimpse of the wall clock before closing his eyes again. However, when Emmett entered the room after knocking, Harrison pretended to still be out so he could listen without his family and friends going all crazy that he was awake.

"Why is he still out?" Spencer asked.

"It takes time to wake up from the anesthetic, Mr. Haddock. Harrison should be coming out of it within the next ten to fifteen minutes," Emmett informed. "Now, I promised an explanation. So, what we're looking at right now is the hope Nate responds well to the transplant. I'm sure he will because his brother was a perfect match, as I suspected he would be when he arrived here. More often than not, a sibling is the perfect match. That's why it concerned me when you said you weren't able to reach him. Harrison informed me of his overseas operations and lack of communication, and no, I don't know what the operations were. Harrison mentioned something about he couldn't say because of security measures," he continued.

"How long until we know how Nate is doing with the transplant?" Trevor asked.

"Well, Nathaniel, for now, remains in isolation on the same treatment until blood tests show the white blood count is recovering. That will show that the bone marrow is working. Past a certain threshold, visitors are allowed and the patient can start to resume a normal life. However, Nate would still need to be under close surveillance to check for relapse of leukemia. It can happen so even after Nate is discharged, I will still order that he return every two weeks to be checked, after a while if that looks good, we'll move the appointments to once a month. Basically, we're going to continue to monitor it for a year or two," Emmett stated.

"So, how long until the marrow takes effect or whatever it would be?" Syrus inquired.

"It may take five to seven days for his white count to recover. This would show his immune system is recovering and probably competent to stop him being at high risk of infection. We will still keep him here about two weeks following that to watch the recovering from the after effects of the treatment. Checking kidneys, liver, heart, etc are all working okay so that he is fit to go home. And as I said, go home with further appointments for surveillance," Emmett explained calmly. "It's still on the wire. Nate stays in isolation for the next week and if he's doing better, we'll let him out of that but he stays in the hospital. That's all I can give you for now until we see his white count improve, then I'll have a better idea," he added.

"Thank you so much, Doctor Eretson, for all you've done for Nathaniel," Spencer said shaking Emmett's hand, then Viviana did the same. Emmett nodded and left the room as everyone looked back to Harrison, he didn't appear to be knocked out anymore, just sleeping peacefully. Little did they know, Harrison was in fact, awake and heard everything that Emmett said. All Harrison cared about now was that everything was going to all be okay.


	35. Personal Caretaker

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; Harrison X Briana_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! In addition, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character Ella (Eira) Solveig. She belongs to a good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

35) Personal Caretaker

 _{Harrison's POV}_

I didn't remember much after going to the OR with Emmett. I know I had to change into a pair of hospital clothes and lay flat on my back to start. The nurse had me put a mask over my face and start counting back from ten, but by four, everything went black. The next time I woke up, the time was about 1:20 pm, meaning I'd been knocked out from the anesthetic since 9:10 am. That was the last time I saw before I went unconscious. Upon waking up, I was silent and caught sight of the clock, but did not make anyone aware I was awake because at that time, I heard Emmett come in and start explaining about how the transplant went. All I cared about was that Nate was getting what he needed to survive and I had been the one to provide it. I guessed that I should make my family and friends aware that I am awake; yet, I was still somewhat tired so maybe I take the time to stay asleep. However, I remembered that my Dad asked Emmett right away about why I wasn't up yet. I supposed I should let them know I'm at least okay, then tell them I'm still exhausted.

I shifted a little and groaned at the bright lights in the room, I heard my family and friends make their way closer to me. Somehow, I had an unrelenting feeling they were going to make a big deal out of me _waking up_.

"Harrison?" I heard my mother ask gently as I blinked a few times trying to focus. I couldn't make out the faces of everyone around me. I knew their voices, but I couldn't distinguish who was who or where they were except my mother, I knew she was on my left because she was holding my hand. I shut my eyes tightly and brought my hands to my head.

"Baby? What's wrong?" Viviana asked quickly wondering why I was reacting this way. Being surrounded by people that I couldn't make out clearly wasn't a fond memory of mine. It happened when I was deployed for two months on operations. Something happened and I ended up knocked out for a few minutes, when I woke up, I was surrounded. The team I was working with got me out and I was safe. However, this only happened three weeks ago and I was still adjusting to being out of those situations. I made out the sounds of my monitors speeding up and the door opening.

"Come now, give the lad some space to wake up. Waking up from anesthesia can make the person groggy," I heard Glenn's voice. Why was he here? Had Wright told him I was doing the transplant for Nate? I saw the blurred figures start stepping back but I ended up closing my eyes. "It's alright, Harrison. Just family and friends around ya," Glenn assured me. I lowered my hands and started opening my eyes, letting my vision begin to focus. After blinking a few times, I was able to see everyone around me, well, with some distance between them and my bed. My parents, Trevor, Hailey, and Dexter on my left. TJ, Regina, Frankie and Glenn on my right. Syrus, Chelsea, Addilyn, and Olivia at the foot of the bed.

"Dude, you good?" TJ asked first.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry, weird to wake up after anesthetic and see blurred faces," I admitted, though, it was not the _whole_ truth. I saw Glenn looking at me curiously, I shot him a look that said I would explain later and he gave curt nod without letting anyone else know or think something was wrong. It was just a few bad memories, I was alright or would be after I had some time to rest. I did just return to the US five days ago after those missions in Afghanistan, I had not had a lot of time to relax. When I got the call from Nate, I'd been at Fort Benning for three days. The overnight flight to Arc Isle put me at four days, and now with this day, it made five. I guessed with me healing from the procedure, I could get the time I needed to readjust to what was considered _normal_ life.

"How do you feel?" Trevor inquired.

"Still tired," I yawned. "How's Nate?"

"He was sleeping the last we checked on him. Dr. Eretson said that it would take about a week for the transplant to get in his system and start doing what it has to do, and by then we should have some numbers on his white count," Spencer informed gently.

"But, a nurse said that Nate is already looking a lot better than he did this morning. You…saved his life, Harrison. Thank you," Viviana choked up a bit.

"Mom, stop the waterworks okay? Nate is my little brother, there isn't anything I wouldn't do for him. For any of you, if it's in my ability to fix, I will." I replied as Viviana wiped her eyes and hugged me. Of course, my mother hit my hip on the left side and I hissed a little.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, son. I forgot you would be sore," my mother said quickly as she backed away.

"No, it's fine. I'll live, hurts less than being shot," I forced a chuckle. Just then, there was a knock and Emmett walked in with a smile.

"There's our patient. Finally awake I see," Emmett stated. "Feeling alright?"

"Little groggy and stiff still, but good otherwise," I told him.

"That will wear off as more of the anesthesia does. We usually give it an hour or so after waking up. After that, as long as you can move without too much pain and eat normally, we'll let ya go," Emmett informed calmly. "Oh, almost forgot. You have another visitor, I wanted to know if it was okay to let them in?" he added.

"Them?" I asked.

"Well, just a girl about your age. A Briana Grayson?" Emmett arched a brow and my eyes widened. Briana was here?! "Mr. Haddock?" he asked curiously. I snapped out of it quickly and nodded to him. "I can let her in then?"

"Yes, of course! That's my girlfriend," I stated to him as Emmett smiled and moved to the door to let the woman in. I laid my eyes on her platinum blond hair and smiled seeing her beautiful violet eyes.

"That is so not your color, handsome," Briana greeted as I blinked and looked down seeing myself in the blue hospital gown, I was wearing pants under it though. Briana made her way to the right of my bed and hugged me carefully.

"What are you doing here? I let you know I'd be back in a month after all this blows over," I reminded her.

"Well, I decided that I didn't want to be away from you. And Wright sent me," Briana informed lightly. I arched a brow now. "Have you forgotten so soon that we share ownership of Nightstar's and Toothless's babies? When Wright realized you would be gone for so long, he sent me to join you. Either way, I believe this works out because I'm not letting you get out of our anniversary so easily," she giggled. Oh, yeah! That was right; Briana and I would be celebrating our one-year anniversary on the 7th of August this year. It was hard to believe it had been a year already. I guess I was still loopy from the anesthetic.

"Oh, not to worry. I wouldn't miss that for the world. Of course, now, I'm going to have to re-plan everything," I chuckled.

"Well, I have full confidence that it will be amazing as long as we're together. How is your little brother doing? Mom, Dad, Alex, and Jaz have you both in their prayers," Briana stated.

"Well, transplant went great, but we won't know much regarding how Nate is taking to it for about a week. That's why Major General Wright gave me so much time off, in case Nate needs more bone marrow. I already said I'd give more if needed," I enlightened her.

"And I'll be here for it all. Wright told me I was off for as long as you are since we have to stay together and all," Briana smiled. "I swear, it's like we're gonna be married for the next eight years, unless the babies bond on their own before then," she giggled a bit as the eyes from the onlookers in the room widened in surprise at Briana's choice of words.

"What do you mean _it's like we're gonna be married_ for the next eight years unless the babies bond? You think Nightstar and Toothless are going stop at three. You, Milady, are stuck with me for the rest of our lives. So, the term to be used would be that we _are_ married already minus rings and a marriage license. Of course, that's not hard to make happen," I remarked as Briana's face lit up like a Snoggletog tree.

"Was that your way of asking me to marry you?" Briana countered.

"Not at all, but you never know with me. One of these days, I could pop the question out the blue. I'm just full of surprises like that, Love," I told her with a chuckle. Briana's blush remained but she seemed to accept the answer and leaned in to kiss me, I returned it and smiled at her after she pulled back. "So, uh, where are Nightstar and the kids?" I asked.

"With Toothless in the stables," Briana replied.

"Where are you staying while you're here?" Addilyn asked now.

"I was wondering that myself," I said afterward.

"Well, I didn't want to overstay a welcome at your parent's place again while I'm here, plus with three extra Night Furies, I didn't feel they'd fit in the backyard. So, I got a room at the Draconian Plaza here in the city. It's only a five minute flight to the hospital which is where I assume you'll be spending most of your time until Nate is given the all clear to go home," Briana responded gently while looking at me. "Nothing special. Twin bed, bathroom and shower, closet, dresser, nightstands on either side of the bed, lamps on each, plus a TV," she shrugged.

"What do you know? I have a room there too. I booked one this morning," I informed.

"Harrison, why would you do that? You can stay with us at the house, you know?" Spencer asked.

"Well, Dr. Eretson said I should be close in case of emergencies with Nate last night when I signed the forms. So, on my way here, I grabbed a room for myself for that purpose," I shrugged at him.

"Well, now it will be easier to take care of you. Odin knows you're gonna be sore for a few more days," Briana reminded.

"You know, I'm having an idea, babe. Since Toothless and Nightstar aren't going to want to be apart and spend time together as a family, why don't you…give up your room and stay with me in mine?" I suggested to my girlfriend. "I got a view of the stables right outside my window and you can take care of me while I'm recovering," I continued gently. "Gods know it's not the first time we've shared a bed," I chuckled.

"Ssh!" Briana hushed me quickly. It was a weekend that her sister was at a sleepover, her parents were on a couples retreat and her brother was in the next town over doing some work with his boss. I had a weekend off work for once so we decided to hang out at her place. However, there was a bad storm and it wasn't safe to fly so we secured the dragons and then bunkered down in the living room on the floor. Of course, kissing leads to making out and that leads to more. Briana and I have not had sex, but we have indulged in a little foreplay. However, I wasn't going to tell them that. God knows I would NEVER hear the end of it.

"When was this, Harrison?" Viviana asked.

I rolled my eyes. "Okay, first of all, mother. I am twenty-years-old and do not need your permission to do anything that I do. Secondly, it was a bad storm and I was already over her house so I camped out there for the night. Briana isn't a fan of storms so we stayed in the living room together on the floor and watched comedy until we knocked out there. Either way, we're both adults and in a relationship together. I don't feel that sharing a bed after a year together is uncommon these days," I remarked. Briana let out a relieved breath that I didn't mention the foreplay. Why would I? It was our business, not theirs. "It's up to you, babe," I said to Briana lightly, leaving the choice in her hands.

"Well, I do want to be able to take care of you and if you need something, I don't want to have to run back and forth between rooms so I suppose sharing would be a better setup. Yeah, let's do it," Briana smiled. I nodded to her as Emmett came in with a nurse.

"Feeling better now?" Emmett asked.

"Much. So, as long as I can eat then I'm allowed to be discharged right?" I asked.

"Yep. Had the nurse bring you a sandwich," Emmett said as the nurse placed the plate down on the table and pushed it towards me. Thank the Gods, because I was starving. While eating, most of my friends left, and then I think my parents went to see Nate since there was word he was awake again. Briana stayed with me as I finished my food. Emmett gave the all clear and I signed my paperwork. The nurse unhooked the IV and monitors as I stood up slow and made it to the bathroom to use it and then get changed into my clothes from before. After leaving the room with Bri, I stopped in to see Nate and let him know that everything was going to be all right. I also told him that I needed to get some more rest and promised to see him tomorrow.

Leaving the hospital, I mounted Toothless slowly and fought through the pain as it would be a quick flight. Getting to the hotel by 3:05 pm, we settled our dragons together with their children and then Briana switched into my room after giving hers up for someone else. After Bri unpacked, I relaxed in the bed by her request. I was still tired, but this was going to be interesting. Briana and I sharing a hotel room for a few weeks while I healed up from the procedure; Briana called herself my nurse. I couldn't imagine how this could possibly be a bad thing with my girlfriend as my personal caretaker.


	36. Memorable Anniversary

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; Harrison X Briana_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! In addition, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character Ella (Eira) Solveig. She belongs to a good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

36) Memorable Anniversary

 _{Harrison's POV}_

 **[Sunday-August 7** **th** **, 2016]**

I could not believe that today was mine and Briana's one-year anniversary of dating. Today marked a full, amazing year that we have been in a relationship and by the Gods if I didn't love this beautiful young woman more and more as each day passed from the beginning to know. I was sure my love for her would continue to grow. I had the whole day planned for us, but first we were going to the hospital to visit Nate. Today we would be getting the results of his white count, to see how he was taking to the transplanted bone marrow from me. If Nate was doing exceptional, they would finally take him out of isolation but still have to keep him a few more weeks to observe other function to ensure he was recovering with no more complications. My recovery was all set too, I had been sore for about four days after leaving the hospital.

The soreness was all in my back and hips but I didn't care either, that pain meant the doctors took what they needed from me and gave it to my little brother and now that was saving his life. I would do it a hundred times over as long as Nate would be all right in the end. Briana had been a Godsend through all my healing, she helped me get up when I had trouble and got me anything I needed because she didn't want me straining myself. I knew Nate's transplant was working; Nate looked a great deal better now than he did when I first came here on July 22nd when he was pale and weak in that hospital bed. I was relieved Nate was okay and getting stronger as the days passed, soon he would back home with our parents and returning to normal life. For someone like me, that was all I could ask for.

I was still a little ticked off that my family and friends gave up trying to contact me after three weeks after the diagnosis was made that Nathaniel needed a bone marrow transplant to live. If they couldn't reach me by cell or Skype, calling Fort Benning because of an emergency should have been the immediate secondary though. Even if I'd been in Afghanistan when the message got through, I would have raced back on Toothless to get to Nate. I would always come for my little brother, for any one of my family and friends. That is why I mentioned it to them after the procedure was over; if it was something in my ability to fix, then I would and with no questions asked.

"Harrison? Are you ready to go?" Briana called to me as I smiled. We were still staying at the Draconian Plaza hotel in the room I had gotten the day of the transplant. I knew my family wasn't thrilled about Briana and I sharing a room together, but I didn't care. Bri and I were lovers and as of today at least, have been dating for a year. Why shouldn't we share a bed? It's not like Briana and I were having sex even though we've indulged in foreplay before. I saw no harm in doing so and she's the one who started it the night of the storm when were still in the US. Briana wanted a distraction from the storm so I started kissing her and then it turned into a make-out session on the floor since that is where we were sleeping for the night. Briana had moved my hands onto her breasts and told me it was okay and I took it as the sign she wanted to take things a bit further.

That was the first time we'd ever used foreplay. I fingered her at first while she gave me a hand job, after that we decided to do sixty-nine so I could eat her out and she ended up giving me a blowjob. We don't always use foreplay, but every now and then if we're alone and get a little carried away with the kissing to a point we get turned on, I didn't see why not get off using a way that wasn't intercourse. Briana and I have had the discussion about it before and said we'd both take precautions, but only after we'd been together for a year. Today marked that and I knew already that Briana was on birth control, I believe it was the shot; something she got done every three months because it lasted that long. For me, I had condoms, but what man seventeen or older didn't these days. If our anniversary went well today, then tonight, I wanted to make love to her, but ONLY if she was ready to do so. I didn't mind if she wasn't, some couples didn't have sex until marriage.

Truthfully, I knew Briana wasn't a virgin because she admitted it to me when we first started talking about the possibility of having sex at our six-month marker in the relationship. Briana had sex when she was fifteen-years-old, it was with some guy who she believed at the time was the love of her life, they had been together about ten months and he pressured her into doing it. Briana informed me that she said it was a horrible experience and one she didn't want to duplicate so, from that, I gathered she was very nervous about having sex again and I mentioned that day that I wouldn't push her into it and she could let me know when she was ready. Me, I've had sex before. I was seventeen because one of the cheerleaders for the football team invited me to her party while her parents were out of town for the weekend.

The girl, I think her name was Rebecca Perez, had been drinking and I had a few too. We starting making out, reached her bedroom, she pushed me down, and it went from there. I had condoms and knew she was on that five-year IUD called Mirena. It was a one-time ordeal and we agreed to never speak of it. However, I wasn't keeping secrets from Briana, so she is the only one who knows about it. When it came to Briana, I wanted to make it unforgettable since she'd already had a miserable time with sex before. Either way, if it happened tonight, then awesome. If not, I wasn't worried about it. I grabbed my shoes and slipped them on while heading out the door with her. Briana and I got our dragons, then made sure Streamwing, Stormsky, and Luna were ready to go before taking to the sky and heading towards the hospital.

 **[Arc General Hospital; Third Floor-10:30 am]**

 _[Norma l POV}_

"Good morning," Emmett began. "I just assume we want to jump right into the results?" he asked as everyone nodded. "Well, I won't keep you waiting then. Everything looks great! Nate's white count is up, he's able to breathe without the help of oxygen, he can move around without pain or feeling nauseated. In addition, he's back to normal skin tone and got a lot more energy. So, we're removing him from isolation, but he will still have to remain here for another few weeks so we can watch his liver, heart, etc. For now though, I can say that he's doing remarkably and responding to the transplant better than expected. I believe we owe that thanks to you, Harrison,"

"No thanks needed, I just did what needed to be done," Harrison smiled. "I call visiting him first!" he announced before anyone else could.

"No fair," Addilyn crossed her arms over her chest.

"Relax, I won't be in long. Briana and I got things to do today," Harrison rolled his eyes.

"What is so important that you can't spend time with us?" Viviana asked.

"Uh, maybe the fact today is mine and Briana's one year anniversary and I've mentioned a few hundred times that I was busy," Harrison reminded as he kissed Briana's cheek and entered the room first. Twenty-minutes later, Harrison came out and took Briana's hand. "Ready?" he asked her.

"Your brother doesn't mind me stealing you for the day?" Briana asked.

"Are you kidding? He basically pushed me out of the room and said have fun and expects to know he's having a sister-in-law by Snoggletog, and then become an uncle by Snoggletog of the following year," Harrison chuckled.

"Bit of a tall order," Briana blinked with an intense blush.

"Never know, it could happen," Harrison winked at her.

"And I demand that it be a nephew!" called Nate's voice from a wheelchair behind them, he was being pushed by a nurse to a bigger, un-isolated room.

"Don't push it, kiddo," Harrison ruffled his hair then hugged him.

"Okay, fine. I suppose it can be a girl too as long I can take her fishing like we used to do," Nate shrugged.

"Used to? Boy, as soon as you're outta this place, we're going off-roading in the truck to our fishing spot and camping out for the night with a bonfire," Harrison told him.

"Really? You promise?!" Nate asked excitedly.

"On my life, buddy," Harrison smiled as he put his hand up to his little brother. "I'll come see you tomorrow morning," Harrison informed.

"Pfft, no you won't. We both know that you and Briana aren't leaving the hotel tomorrow after tonight," Nate whispered with a grin as Harrison's eyes widened.

"Ssh! It's a maybe not a definite. Told you that already," Harrison reminded as Nate nodded to him and they hugged again. "See ya later, kiddo. If you need me?" he started.

"I'll call," Nate answered before Briana and Harrison walked away hand in hand towards the elevator. "HAVE FUN AND BE SAFE!" he called as the elevator doors began to close.

"NATE!" Harrison yelled back.

"LOVE YOU BIG BROTHER!" Nate replied as the doors closed, then he giggled a bit as he saw Harrison give a thumbs up and wink at him before the doors had shut completely.

 **[Later That Night-9 pm]**

The day was perfect. Harrison and Briana started out by going to an early lunch at 11:15 am and then moved on to the Berkville fair that was in town this weekend. Harrison and Briana played games, had snacks, went on rides and more. At one point after the fair, the two went for a flight with the Night Fury babies before ending up back at the hotel around 6:45 pm. Harrison and Briana enjoyed a late dinner together in their room, then watched a movie until 9 pm, which was the time now.

"Today was perfect, I wish it wasn't almost over," Briana sighed out while completely relaxed against Harrison as the end credits were rolling on the TV screen.

"Well, who says that is has to end?" Harrison asked her as Briana glanced up at him.

"What do you mean?" Briana questioned. Harrison adjusted himself and leaned down to kiss her deeply. Briana closed her eyes and kissed him back. After ten minutes of making out, the two were lying back with Briana over Harrison and then he flipped her so he was on top of his girlfriend. Harrison did not plan to do anything more than what they usually did; make out, start feeling one another's bodies, and then moving into foreplay. Harrison would judge his moves after that on her body language; he was good at reading hers.

 **=Lemon: Briana & Harrison=**

It was now 10 pm after all said and done. It took an hour to get through removing their clothes, then the foreplay. Harrison took the lead by pleasuring Briana with a nice breast massage, also licking and sucking her nipples. After that, he fingered her to orgasm. Briana obtained control after that by giving Harrison a hand and blowjob; it shocked him of course. Briana seemed to be really into it tonight, that could be a good sign for him. Harrison just finished eating her out and giving her a second release, after he wiped his mouth, he moved back up to capture Briana's lips again.

"Okay," Briana panted, "Now it's the perfect day," she giggled a bit.

"You know, it…doesn't have to stop here, Bri," Harrison mentioned gently.

"What? You mean…keep going and have sex?" Briana wondered.

"I-If you want and are ready to? I won't push you, Bri, you know that. I just…want to show you how much you mean to me, babe. And no, I don't want sex. I want to make love to you," Harrison said lightly while staring into her violet eyes. Briana looked into his eyes before she finally smiled and placed her hand on his cheeks, drawing him down more so she could press her lips to his in a passionate kiss. A moment later, she broke it while running her fingers through his hair.

"Make love to me then," Briana said in a loving voice. "I trust you," Harrison could not have been happier to hear those words out of her mouth. Briana was going to let him keep going! Harrison grabbed his wallet off the nightstand and pulled one of the condoms, he sat back on his knees to get it on before positioned himself between her legs with his length at her entrance.

"I'll go slowly," Harrison soothed, he could tell that she was nervous to do this again. Harrison was nervous too, but they would get through it together. Briana nodded as the go ahead for Harrison to do it, so Harrison eased himself within her core. The feeling was both good and different at the same time. "You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You're good," Briana told him as she kissed him again. Harrison decided to start bringing his hips back and forward, causing soft moans from his girlfriend. Harrison was enjoying the feeling as much as she was, this was incredible. Harrison understood the difference between sex and making love now, sure, it was still intercourse but this was something completely different from his first sexual experience. "You can go fast and harder, babe, it doesn't hurt," she blushed a bit. Harrison adjusted his arms to either side of her to hold himself up while moving faster and harder as she asked him to do. "God, it feels so good," Briana moaned out while putting her hands on his arms.

For the next two hours, all they did was switch positions and enjoy their lovemaking. Of course, they did take breaks in between to draw it out longer. During those times, Harrison and Briana just made out and keep their bodies pressed firmly together. Neither of them cared that it was midnight, or that the room was bordering eighty degrees nor that they were a sweaty mess. With what they were doing, the temperature seemed closer to ninety. Still, it did not matter. Nothing else mattered to them right now other than the experience that they would not soon forget. Harrison and Briana were nearing their climaxes, starting back at their first position of missionary so they could look into one another's eyes.

"Bri, Gods," Harrison moaned.

"Ah, mm. Harrison, I'm close," Briana gripped his arms tightly, bringing one of her arms around his neck and bringing Harrison down for their lips to crash together as their breaking point grew closer. Harrison felt Briana's walls tighten around him as he tried to hold back, but knew he would not be able to; not when it felt like this.

"Babe, I can't. I'm gonna cum," Harrison panted.

"I-It's okay, me too!" Briana breathed heavily. That was all it seemed to take; Harrison brought his hips in for a final thrust as he released and buried his face into the place between Briana's neck and shoulder. Briana came at the same time, her core walls embracing Harrison's length and drawing out his orgasm while Briana twitched through hers, having felt nothing else like it before. The pleasure rolled over them like waves, both breathing heavily and shaking while the high fell to a low. The two lovers kissed and then stared at one another. "Yo-You're…shaking," she smiled softly.

"So…are y-you," Harrison replied as they kissed again.

"That was…" Briana started.

"Amazing, I know," Harrison replied as the two laughed a little. "Happy Anniversary, Bri," he said lovingly.

"Happy Anniversary, Harrison," Briana responded.

 **=End Lemon=**

Harrison relaxed on top of Briana for close to five minute, he just kept his head on chest while she played with the back of his neck where it was getting longer and would need a shave soon to stick to military code about hairstyles. Harrison pulled out of his girlfriend and removed the condom, then tied it off and tossed it away as the two cleaned up and got semi dressed. Harrison just slid on his boxers while Briana grabbed a pair of underwear and Harrison's t-shirt off the floor. The two snuggled up together in the large full-size bed, they shared a kiss and soon fell asleep with the same thought that this had been a memorable anniversary indeed.


	37. Brothers & Best Friends

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; Harrison X Briana_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! In addition, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character Ella (Eira) Solveig. She belongs to a good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

37) Brothers & Best Friends

 _{Normal POV}_

 **[Archian General; 3** **rd** **Floor-#316 on 8/28/2016]**

Three weeks had passed since Briana and Harrison's one-year anniversary; it was one they would never forget. From the moment they left the hospital to making love that night for three hours, it had unforgettable. Truthfully, Harrison and Briana felt like it actually made them stronger to wait the year to have sex. It was more meaningful that they took their time, went through some good and bad, but made it through together. Today was the big day where Dr. Eretson was supposed to let them know if Nate's cancer was in remission and if he could come home finally. However, unlike the days before, ever since the transplant and the week following that day; not everyone would come at the same time to the hospital. Viviana, Spencer, Harrison, and Briana were there daily. The other friends would stop in every few days at different times to visit with Nate, wanting to make sure that Nate didn't lose his support system as he was still battling cancer.

The Haddock family and Briana, of course, were gathered at the hospital in Nate's room waiting for Dr. Eretson to come in and let them know if today was the big day or not. The time was 8:30 am, bright and early so they could hopefully bring Nate home that afternoon after all the discharging was done and they were given instructions for at home care. Finally, Emmett knocked on the door and walked in a moment later.

"Good morning, Haddocks! And the young lady who I assume is the future sister-in-law that Nathaniel keeps mentioning," Emmett said with a chuckle as Harrison's eyes widened and Briana blushed a deep shade of red. Harrison saw his parent glancing at him curiously.

"So, do I get to go home?" Nate asked softly, perhaps a little nervously as well. The poor boy had been stuck in the hospital since the middle of May and it was now almost the beginning of September 2016. Four long months and three of them had been spent in isolation during the worst of the cancer and right after the transplant.

"Well, let's take a look, shall we?" Emmett smiled to Nate as he began looking over the folder. After what seemed like an eternity of holding their breaths, the doctor smiled broadly. "You get to go home," Emmett said.

"Really? I can bring my baby home?!" Viviana almost burst out into happy sobs.

"Yes, Mrs. Haddock, you may. Nathaniel's white count is up to acceptable levels, all his organs are working perfectly, the skin tone and energy have returned to normal. Nate can move without pain, there's no nausea or vomiting. I believe the best news, though, it that according to this; your cancer is in remission!" Emmett informed. Viviana and Spencer hugged, both overwhelmed at the news. Harrison hugged Briana, then Nate who whispered a thank you to his older brother. Had it not been for Harrison's bone marrow, Nate might not have survived this long.

"Thank you, Dr. Eretson. Thank you so much," Spencer shook the man's hand, Viviana hugged Emmett. Both parents hugged Nate next, and thanked Harrison afterward. For the next half hour, Emmett explained that for three months, he wanted to see Nathaniel every two weeks and after that, they would move the appointment to once a week. This was all just to make sure the cancer stayed in remission and if by chance it came back, they would be ready to catch it right away. While Viviana and Spencer handled the discharge paperwork, a nurse came in to unhook the machines from Nate. Harrison helped Nate out in the bathroom with changing because with Nate bed ridden for so long, the boy was stiff and locked up from sitting. When all that was squared away, the Haddocks and Briana left.

 **[Haddock Household; 2:45 pm]**

Harrison and Briana arrived to his parent's house finally at 2:45 pm. There was a coming home/beating cancer party being thrown for Nate. However, Harrison and Briana had to pack up their things at the hotel first, then speak to Major General Wright about when they were due back. The date would be September 2, 2016. It was in a week and it would suck to tell everyone, but orders were orders and both were needed to come back for other situations. Reaching Harrison's family home, everyone had already arrived; even Glenn and Aaron had come out for the celebrations. Getting into the backyard, Harrison and Briana saw everyone present except for the man of the hour, Nate.

"Hey, we're here. Sorry it took so long," Harrison greeted with a wave.

"Oh, it's alright, son. I don't think we'll be having the party after all," Viviana stated with a sigh.

"Why? What is wrong? D-Did Nate have to go back to the hospital?" Briana asked cautiously, but she only mentioned something like that because everyone looked miserable.

"No, dear. When we got home at 10:30 am, Nate said he just wanted to take a nap in his bed while called everyone to tell them the good news. We mentioned the party for him and he just doesn't want to come out of his room now," Viviana informed sadly.

"Anyone ask why?" Harrison wondered.

"Said he didn't want to," Spencer replied. "And he's got the door locked,"

"I'll talk to him," Harrison stated as he went for the house, and then to Nate's room. Once there, Harrison knocked twice. "Nate? Hey, it's me, your older brother. Can I come in, buddy?" he asked. The lock clicked once as Harrison opened the door and walked in. "Hey, what's the matter? You're missing your own party," Harrison questioned when he saw Nate lying on his bed, face down in the pillow.

"I-I don't want to go out there," Nate mumbled.

"Why not?" Harrison sat on the edge of the bed now and rubbed his brother's back.

"Because I look horrible. Yeah, I'm not pale or look like death anymore, but-," Nate paused as he sat up and took the bandana off, his head showing little to no hair. It had started to grow back after first two weeks since the transplant, but it still looked like he had a short buzz cut and you couldn't really see the autumn colored hair that used to sit on Nate's head. In the hospital, Nate never showed anyone how much of his hair was gone, he always wore a hat or bandana. Harrison understood now, Nate was ashamed to go out in front of everyone with no hair because he thought he looked ugly or everyone would stare at him.

"Nate, it'll grow back. It's already starting to," Harrison pointed out.

"Harrison, I know everyone knows I had or…still have cancer, not sure how to word that, but…" Nate stopped and sniffled a few times. "They don't know I lost all my hair in the chemo treatments, no one has seen and I…don't want everyone to stare at me. I'm the only one with no hair and I don't want to be out there with everyone looking at me," he looked down sadly.

"Hey, we can think of something," Harrison tried.

"No, just…tell everyone to go home and that I'm still tired or something," Nate hid his face again. Harrison sighed, what could he do to fix this? Harrison raked a hand through his hair while trying to come up with an idea, he realized how long it was getting and then it hit him like a pile of bricks.

"Well, I suppose that it's one of those times where I get to say, this is what brothers are for then," Harrison stated in a low voice with a sigh as he left Nate's room and went downstairs, then into the half-bathroom to grab something. Heading outside now, Nate was right behind Harrison wondering what he had meant. Nate was standing at the sliding glass down and looking at Harrison. Nate was wearing a hat as expected and Harrison motioned for Nate to come closer, as he did so, Harrison took off his shirt and tags and pulled something out from behind him; a pair of buzzers.

"Harrison?" Nate asked with confusion. Nate didn't understand as Harrison knelt down so he was closer to Nate's height and flipped the buzzers on, and then, Harrison did something that no one would have expected. Harrison put the buzzers to his hairline and moved them back slowly, taking off his own hair. Everyone's eyes widened in shock, even Nate's. Harrison had short hair from his army cut in 2015, and maintained to keep the back a number three buzzer shave, then scissor cut on top, but kept it longer. However, with this cut, Harrison was shaving it right off to barely anything at all. "Har-Harrison! What are you doing? Stop!" Nate exclaimed.

"No," Harrison answered him, he just kept buzzing his hair. Harrison shaved his hair off his head, then went around to make sure it was even. Afterward, Harrison shut the small machine down and set it in the grass while looking at Nate.

"W-Why did you do that? Y-You love your hair, why did you take it all off!" Nate yelled at him.

"You said you didn't want everyone looking at you, right? Well, look around, kiddo. Everyone is looking at me, not you," Harrison said as Nate saw everyone looking in shock at Harrison's shaved head. Harrison smiled and that was all it took for Nate's lower lip to quiver a bit, then he threw himself at his older brother and cried. It was this moment where Nate's hat came off and everyone was able to see that Nate's hair was gone and likely from the chemo treatments. After a few seconds, Nate pulled off his brother's shoulder and wiped his eyes. Harrison put a hand on Nate's shoulder now, "I did this because we're brothers, Nate. Moreover, if you have to go through this, then I will too so you don't have to face it alone,"

It was now that everyone understood what went down. Nate was embarrassed and ashamed from losing all his hair to the chemo treatments, so much that he didn't want to be outside with everyone looking at him as the only hairless person there. Harrison decided to remedy that by shaving off his hair so Nate would not have to suffer alone. Viviana was in tears, so was Briana, Addilyn, Hailey, and Regina at the single act of compassion and thoughtfulness that Harrison had done for his little brother, shaving his head so Nate wouldn't feel like the odd one out. Spencer was just in shock, maybe even a little emotional too. Aaron and Glenn only smiled and nodded their heads, proud of what Harrison had done.

"Well, thanks for that, Harrison," Syrus started.

"Make us all cry why don't you?" Olivia and Chelsea sobbed together.

"Y-You didn't have to do this for me," Nate told him while trying to form a smile.

"Hey," Harrison stood up and brushed the hair off his body, then he lifted his hand to Nate's as the two connected. "This is what brothers are for," he winked.

"You're the best brother in the known universe," Nate replied.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Now that the guest of honor has come out of his room, we can get this party started!" Harrison announced as Dexter nodded and flipped on the music. First thing Harrison did was take out his cell phone from his pocket, slip off his shoes and socks, and then jump into the pool to get the remaining hair off. Afterward, he climbed out and Briana handed him a towel to cry off with. Nate didn't seem interested in anything else, he just sat next to his brother smiling the entire time. One thing was for sure, and everyone there couldn't ever deny the bond Nate and Harrison had, the bond of true brothers who were not only family, but best friends too.


	38. Vacation Is Over

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; Harrison X Briana_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! In addition, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character Ella (Eira) Solveig. She belongs to a good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

38) Vacation Is Over

 _{Harrison's POV}_

The music was going, a mix of everything to keep it simple. Everyone had a drink whether it be soda, juice, or water. Most us were standing or sitting around and talking. I had yet to tell anyone that Briana and I were going back to the states on Friday the 2nd of September because we knew it'd break their hearts to know that I was leaving again and still had no word on when I'd be back for good. Briana and I originally decided that we'd just visit as much as we could, but it still wasn't a fair trade off. Live in the US, but visit my home two or three times a year? Or on the flip side, live on Arc Isle but visit the states a few times a year? There had to be a better arrangement, yet nothing had come to mind so far. I was sitting in one of the chairs out in the sun, attempting to dry off from my quick dip in the pool forty-five minutes ago. I did have to admit in secret that it felt weird not having my hair anymore, I guess it didn't matter, it would grow back over the course of six or so months. I kept it short for the military anyway.

"That was a nice thing you did for your brother earlier, lad," I heard Glenn say to me as I looked over at him.

"It's just hair, I'm not losing much," I replied with a shrug.

"You talk to Wright?" Aaron questioned.

"Yeah. Bri and I return to the US on Friday, haven't told anyone yet," I answered calmly.

"And has there been word about the whole-," Glenn started.

"No, and I don't want to discuss it right now," I remarked while closing my eyes.

"I know it's hard not to tell th-," Glenn tried again.

"I said; I don't want to talk about it, Lieutenant Belmore," I said firmer.

"Easy, Haddock," Aaron instructed. "We're just checking on ya. Glenn told me about your wake up from the procedure," he stated as I flinched a little. "Bit of a rough time readjusting?" he asked next.

"It was at first, but I'm okay now. The shit in Afghanistan was…more intense than I expected," I stated.

"We know, we heard about what happened, laddie. And you know that you can talk to us or a professional if anything is bothering you about all that," Glenn offered. I stood up now with a sigh as I looked at them seriously.

"Look, this party is for my brother and I don't want to talk about work while I'm home, alright? Yeah, it sucked ass overseas, but what could I do? There was nothing I could have done to stop it without risking the rest of the team. Those soldiers died as heroes and that's how I'll remember them, even if it hurts to have watched what happened," I informed. "Excuse me," I said before walking away from Aaron and Belmore. Was it bad that I just wanted to grab Toothless and go flying? I knew I couldn't though, I didn't need to draw more attention to myself. My family and friends already wanted to know what happened those two months in Afghanistan, but I wasn't ready to talk about it and I was under oath not to say a word until cleared to do so.

I grabbed myself a water bottle and leaned against the back porch to relax. Suddenly the stereo cut out as Dexter and Trevor were trying to fix it. "Well, there goes the music. There's a short in the connector wire, way past repair too," Dexter stated.

"Harry, what about your truck?" Nate asked. I sighed, I knew Nate loved music as much as I did so I couldn't exactly say no to him when it was his party.

"Dad, unlock the gate and make sure everyone stays outta the path," I called to him as I put my drink down and moved around the front of the house after pulling my keys out of my pocket. Five minutes later, I pulled my truck to the grass line and got out as I laid out a few flat board. I knew how Dad was about his grass and I promised him I'd never drive on it with the truck, this was the only way to get the truck back there without being on it directly.

"You need someone to direct you in?" Trevor asked.

"Nah, I got it," I said as I got back in the truck and turned it around then started backing up onto the boards slowly, I made the tight curve and left the truck parked there. I put turned the key to give the truck power, but not start it fully. I got out and shut the driver side door while using the back tire to get into the bed of my vehicle. The first thing I did was go to the toolbox towards the back window and flip the two sides to reveal speakers, then I slid open the middle drawer and docked my phone on the stand. After doing this, I opened the middle compartment between the two speakers to show a bigger screen that resembled my lock screen on the mobile.

"WOAH! You didn't tell me your truck could do this!" Briana exclaimed.

"Huh, thought I did. Yeah, I converted the back toolbox into a DJ stand," I shrugged while pulling up the music application and pulling up a random mix, which was mainly country music. I climbed out the back, jumped to the ground before pulling down the tailgate, and then I leaned against the side. Not long after I set all that up, everyone was back to having fun, except me. I was watching and smiling but otherwise, I just stood there near my truck. I wasn't sure if this was going to be the rest of the night, right now it was only 4 pm and it seemed dad was firing up the grill to do burgers and hot dogs. I could feel Glenn and Aaron watching me intently, I hate it though.

"Excuse me?" said a younger voice from behind me. I turned and saw a teenage girl with black hair and gray-blue eyes. "I-Is Nathaniel here?" she asked. I blinked a bit but faced her.

"Um, yeah. Who are you, if I may ask?" I inquired.

"Oh, I'm Emily, a classmate of Nate's. H-He told me to come over for his party," the teenager, Emily replied nervously.

"I'm Harrison, Nate's older brother. Come on inside, I'll take you to him," I smiled to her as she nodded with a small smile while I led her in past my truck. "There he is, by the porch," I pointed to Nate for her.

"Thank you!" Emily smiled happily as she jogged over. "Nate!"

"Emily!" Nate said shocked but with a broad smile as Nate hugged her tightly. "I'm so glad you could come!" I watch the two interact and I saw that there was an obvious crush between them but neither of them were going to make a move to let the other one know how they felt. It was cute honestly, seeing my little brother so happy but nervous. Gods, he really did remind me of myself when I was his age. "How long are you allowed to stay?" I listened to Nate ask.

"Dad said until 7:30 pm, and then he'll swing by to pick me up. Last time I saw you was before the school year ended, are you okay? You didn't look so good," Emily stated to Nate. It made me wonder if anyone from the school knew that Nate had cancer, obviously, the teachers did, but none of the students? I guess Mom and Dad wanted to keep it on the down low.

"I'll tell you everything, but you have to promise to keep it a secret from everyone else," Nate told her as Emily nodded and then I watched as Nate revealed to Emily all about his cancer from the moment he was diagnosed to when I donated bone marrow to him. I watched Emily get scared, nervous, and worried for Nate, then relieved knowing his cancer was in remission now. It took a good fifteen minutes for Nate to explain to Emily everything, afterward, the two were just talking about whatever over a cup on punch. However, I did noticed something odd. During the pause of a song change, I heard Toothless and Nightstar whimpering in their stables around the side of the house. I got in the back of my truck and paused the music as everyone looked at me funny.

"What's wrong, son?" my father asked. I got out of the truck and moved to the stables to see Toothless and Nightstar trying to get out frantically.

"What is it, Toothless?" I asked him as I unlatched the gate and released him and then Nightstar afterward. That's when I noticed the babies were gone. "Bri, the kids are missing!" I called to her. I saw everyone look at me weird again. "For the love of-I meant the baby dragons!" I informed and watched everyone relax a little.

"How are we going to find them?" Briana asked me.

"I think I might know something that will work. Mind your ears, Love," I warned as she nodded and stepped back a few feet. "Toothless. Nightstar. Let's go," I instructed calmly. The two Night Furies nodded while standing on either side of me. I cupped my hands over my mouth as the dragons and I took in a deep breath and roared out. It took a moment or two, but two Night Furies flew in.

"Well, there's Luna and Stormsky," Briana stated. "So, where's Streamwing?" she asked.

"He isn't far, probably hiding because-," I stopped short when Emily screamed and hid behind Nate quickly when there was a dark gray Night Fury with dark blue eyes standing on all fours before them. "I stand corrected," I sighed.

"Harrison? What do I do?" Nate asked as calmly as he could manage. Anyone else who tried to get close only got growled at, plus Streamwing wasn't listening to his parents to stop either.

"Alright, just…relax, Nate. I think he's just…curious about you because the others have met him before when you were in the hospital," I told him. "Emily, come back this way," I said as Emily slowly stepped backwards towards me and Toothless. Streamwing started sniffing around Nate and nudging him a bit. I was beginning to see what was happening, but I couldn't be sure. Finally, Streamwing sat down on his hind legs in front of Nate as the two seemed to stare at one another intently. I watched Nate take a step forward calmly, the eye connection never breaking.

"It's okay, I won't hurt you. I'm a friend," Nate said instinctively. I smiled proudly; I got it now. Streamwing and Nate were bonding! Streamwing leaned forward as Nate did the same and then, it happened. Nate's and Streamwing's eyes closed as their foreheads pressed together for only a moment. Afterwards, Streamwing warbled contently and licked Nate's cheek repetitively.

"I don't understand what just happened," Viviana stated.

"Nate and Streamwing bonded, Mom. It's different for every human and dragon," I explained with a smile. Not more than a second after that happened, Luna made her way over to Emily and sniffed at her hand curiously. I watched as Luna just got right in and nuzzled against Emily's cheek gently, warbling with affection for the teenage female. "And she's trying to bond to you. Go ahead and touch her, she won't hurt you, I promise," I said. Emily calmly lifted her hand and rubbed the side of Luna's face, then scratched under her chin. Luna licked Emily's cheek and nuzzled again with closed eyes this time.

"Wow, it's amazing. But I thought kids couldn't have dragons of their own?" Emily asked.

"You can't train or ride, but you can own them. Now, your dragon, Emily is a female Night Fury named Luna and she's going to be a year old December 28th, 2016. Nate, that guy right there with you is Streamwing and has same birthday because Luna and him are sibling. This is their brother, Stormsky. All three are Toothless's and Nightstar's offspring," Briana stated gently.

"But I thought they couldn't be trained until they were six or separated from their families until eight-years-old?" Nate asked.

"Unless they bond on their own. Nate, having Streamwing works the same as you having Sharpshot. You own him, but all you can do until you're sixteen is stable work and feedings. After that, you can go out for a Junior Trainer & Rider Permit. That will allow you to train and ride to a certain degree. Once you're eighteen, you can go for the Ownership License; that lets you train, ride, and own Streamwing. Same for you, Emily. It works out because these two aren't legally eligible to begin any of that until they are at least three, that's the absolute minimum age for training," I explained now.

"Oh!" Emily and Nate said together, now understanding.

"Yep, and since they are brother and sister; you should know they love to play together so I guess you two should hang out more, try to keep the family somewhat together," I hinted knowing Nate would catch on to me saying that he and Emily would have more time to get better acquainted. I saw him understand that I was trying to help him out and he mouthed a thank you to me. Well, this did turn out to be an interesting party thus far.

 **[7 pm]**

Everyone had eaten dinner and was relaxing outside around the fire even though it was still daylight out, it didn't get dark until 8 pm or so in the Summer time. The music was still going, I just turned it down a bit so we didn't bother the neighbors. Nate and Emily were sitting on the ground against their newly bonded dragons, talking about the upcoming school year and how amazing it would be for them to be in the 6th grade and already have bonded dragons.

"This is nice," Briana sighed out as she was sitting in my lap and leaning on my chest.

"I agree, nice to have everyone back together," Addilyn agreed with a nod from Regina and Hailey. The music suddenly stopped and turned to ringing. I glanced at the truck and had Briana get off me as I moved into the back of the truck and grabbed my phone off the dock, then answered it without checking the Caller ID first.

"Hello?" I asked. I found out quickly who it was, one of the leading officers of Fort Fury. I was positive his name was Colonel Cody Dawson, if memory served at least. I only met the guy once or twice. I listened to him explain the situation and I swear all I could do was sigh heavily and close my eyes. Finally, I sighed again, defeated knowing that I didn't have a choice. "I understand," I replied. "I'll just take Toothless, he's faster than your planes, sir. Have a good night, Colonel," after that, I hung up.

"Haddock?" Trevor remarked.

"What's going on, man? That didn't look like a good call," Syrus asked.

"I can't…tell you," I looked up as a dragon hovered over the yard and I saw a soldier on it's back. The woman had her dragon set down a large package of stuff. "Thanks, Corporal Miller!" I said, the woman gave me a salute and headed off. I opened the package to four ACU's, two vests, a helmet with day and night goggles on it, two pairs of boots, few under shirts and then finally, my guns and some ammo. I grabbed my clothes first, then went inside and came back out ten minutes later with my long bag, packing the rest of the gear up except the weapons.

"Harrison! There has to be something you can tell us about all this? It's…almost 7:15 at night and you're…well, it looks like you're going to war," Vivian said quickly. I secured my handgun to my hip with the safety on, then placed the strap of my rifle over my shoulder, safety on that too. I put my hat over my head and then whistled for Toothless.

"Bri, you gonna be good flying back to the US on Friday with Nightstar and Stormsky?" I asked her.

"I will be. How long this time?" Briana asked softly.

"I don't know, soon as I know more, I'll let you know," I stated while climbing onto Toothless's back, then grabbing my bag.

"Harry…Where are you going, please tell us?" Nate asked now coming to Toothless's left side.

"I can't tell you, kiddo. I'm sorry. I have rules to follow, orders to carry out, and missions to run," I told him.

"A-Are you going to be safe?" Nate asked looking down.

"I can't promise that," I told him. "All I can promise is that all of you will be safe, and that's all the matters to me. I gotta go, I'll try to keep in contact as much as I can," I ruffled his hair as he nodded and stepped back. Briana came over and kissed me. "Love you,"

"Love you too," Briana smiled.

"Love all you guys too and I swear that as soon as can say something about all this, I will," I told them before patting Toothless's neck. "Let's go, bud!" I called. Toothless launched into the sky, whipped around and headed East. I was tired of keeping secrets from them, but I didn't have a choice in the matter. All I knew right now, my vacation is over and I'm headed back to Afghanistan.


	39. Full of Surprises

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; Harrison X Briana_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! In addition, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character Ella (Eira) Solveig. She belongs to a good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

39) Full of Surprises

 _{Normal POV}_

 **[August 28, 2016-Haddock Household-7:20 pm]**

No one knew what to say or do after Harrison left on Toothless with all his gear for war. Those among the group who were military knew for a fact that vests, guns, and helmets were issued upon arrival, so why did Harrison have his before he was even off Arc Isle? It was painfully obvious to them all that Harrison was going overseas again, but they didn't know where or for how long. Harrison knew he was going to Afghanistan, but couldn't tell them that. Mentioning it once at the hospital last month started a huge issue that Harrison didn't want to deal with again, so it was easier not to say anything more than what he had to them, which was basically nothing. What started out as a great night and celebration for Nate's cancer being in put in remission had turned into nothing but confusion and worry. Aaron and Glenn knew something, that much the group was sure of because their words at the hospital, stating specifically that Harrison was on top-secret operations. Another reason the group knew Aaron and Glenn knew what was going on was because they were the only two sitting around the fire who didn't panic or get confused. In truth, the two commanding officers just sat there with their eyes closed.

In addition to that, some in the group were assuming that Briana knew as well since she asked Harrison how long he'd be gone this time, but perhaps Briana just knew he was going on operations overseas and nothing more than that. It was hard to tell and the worst part about it; the group knew the Aaron, Briana, and Glenn weren't going to tell them anything at all.

"Alright, I have to ask it. Major Hagebak, why can't we know what's going on?" Chelsea blurted out in the silence that lasted a whole five minutes after Harrison left.

Aaron sighed and looked down. "It's international security, Miss. Boggs. There are very few who know what is going on and the orders come from over our heads. To be honest, we don't even know about this who situation. When it started, Harrison was in the US, Major General Wright only called Glenn and me to make sure it was all right that we let Harrison go. However now, it seems that the militaries are starting to work together and top leaders are issuing these, shall we say, mini-deployments,"

"Isn't this kind of stuff saved for…like specially trained soldiers?" Regina wondered.

"That's what Harrison is, he's been doing side training while deployed in Kuwait and also while over in the US, it why you didn't hear from him a lot and thought he was ignoring all of you," Glenn informed.

"So, what? He gets a call and rushes off?" Dexter asked.

"I'm afraid there is a lot more to it than that, Dexter. See, Harrison is a…how you put it, a special soldier. Do you remember that first day in-," Aaron began, but was cut off by Glenn instantly.

"Aaron, stop. You're telling them too much," Glenn warned.

"It's fine, Glenn. This Harrison's family and friends, I'm sure they can keep a secret," Aaron stated.

"It doesn't matter if they can or can't. You said it yourself, this is international security and marked as a level ten. Undisclosed operatives and locations aren't to be except for those who are approved. If anyone finds out, we're subject to imprisonment for up to twenty years. They can't know, Aaron, there's a lot riding on it. You know what we got warned about in the briefing, and I don't want to see that happened. So for his and our sakes, shut up," Glenn glared.

Aaron looked down, then took a breath before glancing the others who were hoping he'd keep going. "I'm sorry. I wish we could tell you, but it's just not allowed,"

"Just…" Viviana started, then paused to choose her words carefully. "Will you please just tell me if my son is going to be all right?"

"If we had that answer, we would give it to you, Mrs. Haddock. Unfortunately, we don't know until anything until he comes back. The only way to get those kinds of updates would be to contact either Fort Fury in Archian City and speak to Colonel Cody Dawson or Fort Benning in Georgia, you'll be waning to speak to Major General Ethan Wright," Aaron said lightly. "Come on, Glenn, we should leave," Glenn got up with Aaron and the two departed the back yard. Nate got into Harrison's truck and started folding down the speakers and screen. Trevor drove it out and put it back in its place, then gave the keys to Spencer.

"Briana," Nate said calmly as she looked at him. "Do you know anything about this?"

"Only what I've been told. I know that Harrison goes on these top-secret missions and that's…about it. I don't know where he goes or how long he's set to be there. I don't get that information until after he arrives and checks in," Briana shrugged. The group sighed. "I know it's not easy to accept, but please believe that Harrison is just playing his part to make the world a safe place for everyone. All us soldiers have a role to play, and…unfortunately, this one is Harrison's. I'm sure he'll be able to tell us more when things are more…secure,"

"I hope you're right," Nate replied. With not much else to do, the party ended. Everyone pictured in to help clean up, Emily's father came to get her and Luna after a quick explanation from Briana about the bonding process, Emily's father said he'd handle the paperwork and what not. The friends left, Briana went to Harrison's room and fell asleep in there. The rest of the night was quiet, everyone hoping Harrison would be okay and they would hear from him soon.

 _{Harrison's POV}_

 **[12/24/2016-Georgia, USA-Grayson Home]**

Dear Gods above, I HATED keeping secrets from my family and friends! Four long months in Baghdad, Iraq, but I was finally on US soil. I was cutting it so close to Snoggletog. However, I guess in the states, this holiday is called Christmas and today was Christmas Eve, celebrating the day before. It was interesting to say the least, still, I didn't care. All I wanted to do was touch down, grab a shower, call my family to let them know I was okay, then hold Briana until I knocked out and slept for what I hoped would be the entire night. This set of orders was worse than the ones in Afghanistan and I already told Wright I was gonna need some time off to adjust to being back and settle with things. The first time, when I was away for two months while Nate had the cancer, I thought that had been bad, but I was wrong. So, so wrong. Wright shocked me by telling me that right after the New Year started, I could go home to Berkville and station there, carrying our the orders given to me by Aaron, Glenn, or anyone else high than me.

I was thrilled about that, but, there was something I had to do first and that was see if Briana wanted to move with me so we wouldn't have to be long distance. If not, then I was happy living in the US so she didn't have to leave. With Toothless, it only took me about fourteen hours to get home, with breaks about seventeen. What was I worried for? I had my gift for Briana all ready to go, I grabbed it in Atlanta, Georgia and was just now arriving at Briana's parent's home. I wasn't telling anyone where I'd been this time, they knew I was on top-secret stuff so I might as well not make them freak out more by letting them know where I'd been for four months. Of course, what ticked me off upon checking in at Fort Benning was that I _still_ could not tell anyone what was going on. It drove me nuts but I suppose I could understand.

Everything was tense with the situation, one wrong move could mess everything up so it was better to play it safe and follow all rules regarding the matter. I set Toothless down in Briana's backyard, then climbed off and moved to the door, knocking on it twice. Carter Grayson answered; I put a finger to my lips, as he understood I was trying to surprise Briana. Carter shook my hand with a smile and let me in, motioning that Briana was in her room. I quietly moved down the hallway and to her door, then knocked on that.

"Dinner time already?" I heard Briana say, and then some movement of her getting off the bed. The door opened and she saw me standing there in front of her. I watched Briana's violet eyes open wide as she brought a hand to her mouth in shock.

"Hello, Milady. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, but if you have an hour, I'd like to take you out for dinner?" I said with a gentle smile.

"Harrison?" Briana asked, I nodded to her with a grin now. Briana instantly threw herself at me in a fit of tears while she was overwhelmed with emotion. I caught her in my arms and held her tightly. "Oh God! Oh My God, you're back! Thank the heavens!" she exclaimed repeatedly.

"I am, just flew in about five minutes ago. Let me grab a shower and we can go grab dinner, just us?" I smiled.

"I'll get ready too then. Does…anyone else know you're back from…uh, wherever you were these past four months?" Briana asked.

"Gonna call them now and tell them I'm tired, then take that shower, we can go eat and after that, just sit back and relax," I told her. Briana nodded as she kissed me deeply and I returned it. Briana went into her room to change her clothes while I got my phone and powered it on, then called the landline to my parent's house.

" _Hello, Haddock Residence. This is Viviana,"_ greeted his mother.

"Hey, Mom. Guess who?" I asked. Silence a moment and then she squealed with delight, also, I think she was trying not to cry.

" _Harrison!? Oh, Gods, is it you baby?!"_ Viviana sobbed.

"It's me," I smiled.

" _Thank Odin. A-Are you on leave? Are you okay? Can we see you soon?"_ my mother fired off questions.

"Okay, slow down, Mom. Don't give yourself a heart attack. I'm alright, just exhausted. I'm not on leave and hopefully won't have to go back for a while. Lastly, I know it's going to suck, but you won't get to see me until after the New Year. I have to stay here for now, but after that passes, I'm stationing back on Arc Isle," I explained quickly.

" _Oh, that blows we can't see you for Snoggletog, big brother. But really, you're living here again?"_ I heard Nate asked. So obviously, I was on speakerphone.

"Yep, just have to finish up some things here first. I miss you a lot, will you let everyone else know too? Unfortunately, I literally landed about five minutes ago. I'm tired at hell, after a shower and bite to eat, I'm going to bed but I will call you tomorrow, okay?" I said.

" _We're so glad you're back, son. Can't wait to see you again, a big welcome home party we'll have! Rest up and we'll talk tomorrow,"_ Spencer said happily.

"Thanks, Dad. Talk soon. Bye," I hung up after that and sighed out. Now, for that shower and then dinner with Briana, I couldn't wait.

 **[Snoggletog Morning; 9:30 am]**

Dinner was amazing! Briana and I went to a quiet place to eat, and have some dessert. Around 6:45 pm, we returned to her house and hung out with everyone until 10 pm. After retiring for the night, I was in Briana's room with her, we made love as quietly as possible until 12:15 am, then finally went to sleep. Now, it's Snoggletog morning, well, Christmas morning as it's known here. I called my family at 6:00 am knowing they'd be awake and said I'd call again later. I watched as the Grayson's opened their gifts, though, everyone kept saying they felt bad I didn't get anything. I told them not to worry about it because being back was enough for me. Now, the fun part about this day for me was that Briana's father, Carter knew what Briana was getting from me. I asked him for his blessing to have Briana's hand in marriage, of course, he said yes. I then placed Alexander in charge of getting my parents on Skype so they could see it too, but had to be quiet so Briana wouldn't suspect anything.

Finally, the moment had come. Briana was relaxing on the couch as I sat between her legs on the floor while she played with my hair. Yes, it was coming in nicely, so was Nate's from what I could see this morning on Skype when I'd called them. It was time to ask Briana to marry me, I was nervous. At this marker in our relationship; Bri and I have only been together a year and four months on the 7th of December. I didn't feel like we were rushing it, we've already done everything else including share custody of little Stormsky, who would be a year old in three days. Exciting, right?

"Perfect Christmas," Briana sighed out.

"Yeah? You get everything you wanted, babe?" I asked her while looking up.

"Having you home for Christmas was all I asked for this year and I got that wish yesterday," Briana giggled.

"So, you didn't want anything else? Just me?" I asked while carefully reaching into my pocket to pull out a purple squared-shared box but keeping it hidden from sight.

"Mmhm," Briana nodded. I shifted and turned around to being on one knee, though, she couldn't see that because I had my elbows on either side of her legs with a smile.

"Well, if I'm all you want then how about I give you forever?" I said as I flipped my wrist and revealed the box to her, I opened it revealing a round brilliant count, three cut stone engagement ring in white gold as she gasped bringing a hand to her mouth in shock. I took her available hand in mine as I stared into her violet eyes. "I don't think I need a long speech to tell you what you mean to me, Bri. You are smart, funny, kind, caring, thoughtful, and beautiful. I want to spend the rest of my days with you by my side. So, with all that in mind, will you marry me, Milady?"

Briana leaned forward with tears in her eyes. "I will," she whispered then threw her arms around my neck and tackled me down, thank the Gods I had a good grip on the ring box. "I will! Yes, I will marry you, Harrison!" Briana cried out with joy as she kissed me. I sat us up and slid the ring on her finger and we kissed again. "When…did you have time to get this for me? Y-You only got home last night and you've been with us since," she asked now.

"Hey, I've told you before, I'm just full of surprises, babe," I remarked, referring to that day in the hospital when I told her I could just propose out of nowhere and she'd never knew it was coming. Briana giggled again as she kept her arms locked around my neck and kissed me; I returned it and held it longer. Now this was the best Snoggletog ever.


	40. The Date Was Set

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; Harrison X Briana_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! In addition, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character Ella (Eira) Solveig. She belongs to a good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

40) The Date Was Set

 _{Harrison's POV}_

 **[January 2** **nd** **, 2017-Haddock Residence-4:30 pm]**

The proposal had been perfect and I'm glad nothing went wrong. I can be honest, I was nervous as hell that Briana would say no because we've only been together a little over a year. The 7th of this month would make it a year and five months, that was exciting for me. Briana is my first relationship and by the Gods, since she said yes, Briana would be my only. I love this woman with my everything; there is nothing I would not do for her. Briana's mother and sister were shocked when they saw the proposal, so was my family who I had on Skype during Snoggletog to watch the happy moment where Briana and I got engaged. See, this idea came from what Nate asked of me after the transplant when he was removed from isolation. Nate had asked me if Briana and I were going to get married because he wanted her as his sister-in-law. I told him that we'd see how things went, but I guess I already knew I planned to propose to her-the question had been when I would choose to do it. I made the choice to ask for her hand in marriage after Briana revealed something to me at the hotel the morning of Nate's release from the hospital.

 **/Flashback; August 28, 2016-Draconian Plaza Hotel/**

" _We understand, sir. Thank you,"_ _I said before ending the call with Major General Wright. Briana and I were expected to return to Fort Benning on September 2_ _nd_ _, 2016 since how Nate's cancer was now in remission and being released from the hospital. "Well, guess we're going back Friday," I informed Briana as she was packing her bag. I put my phone in my pocket and began to go around the room and make sure I had all my stuff too. Since Nate was back in Berkville, Briana and I decided to just stay at my parent's place until Friday morning when we'd leave early and end up back in the states before midnight._

" _Harrison, there's something I have to tell you," Briana said calmly while sitting on the edge of the full-size bed in the hotel room. I blinked with some confusion, this sounded serious all of a sudden._

" _Alright, tell me. Are you okay?" I asked her._

 _Briana nodded to me so I assumed she was all right. "Major General Wright didn't…send me here after you because of the whole keeping the Night Furies together thing," she admitted as I sat next to her a little shocked._

" _Then why did he send you here?" I decided to ask out of curiosity._

" _That's the thing, Harry. I wasn't sent at all. I came in case you needed support," Briana told me as my eyes widened a little, still not understanding what she meant. Briana took a deep breath now. "After you called me and said you had to leave because Nate was in the hospital and dying from cancer, my heart went out to you. As soon as you left, I went to Wright myself and begged him to let me leave too. It was my fear that if Nate couldn't be saved and passed away, you were going to be devastated. I couldn't bear the thought of not being by your side through something like that. You went above and beyond for me after I was saved from being MIA, you never left me and did all you could to help, even if it was just letting me know you were there in case I needed you. So, when I found about this, I wanted to be that person for you," she explained._

 _I couldn't believe what I was hearing and yet, I was happy. Briana went out of her way to be at my side in case something went wrong and Nate didn't make it. Even though the transplant recovery and all that nervous waiting to know if Nate was going to be okay, Briana was there for me. It made me think back to what I told her after waking up from the anesthetic. How I said we were basically married due to having shared ownership of the Night Fury babies, that we couldn't split the family up so Briana and I were always together. Well, why the hell shouldn't we get married? It was the truth. I loved Briana with all my heart and this new information she'd admitted to me; that she came because she wanted to be here for me, that was all I needed to know that I was going to marry this girl when the time was right._

 **/End Flashback/**

That was the day I decided I would marry Briana. The next thing was choosing when to do it; that became clear to me after I got sent to Afghanistan. Well, it started there and then I ended up in Iraq a week later to continue the operation. After everything that went down there, on the flight home knowing it was a major holiday, I just said screw it and grabbed the ring in Atlanta, Georgia. I knew Briana's ring size and the style she liked. Best part about the ring I chose was that it came as a wedding set, which I already had put away safely until Briana and I chose a wedding date. I had asked Carter, Briana's father, after returning from dinner with Briana on Snoggletog Eve for his blessing and he gave it to me. I then pulled Alex aside and told him to Skype my parents and brother on Christmas morning, I told him to just tell my parents that they weren't going to want to miss this and stay quiet. Everything went perfectly, and now, Bri and I were engaged!

The month now was January, my stationing in Georgia was over and I was back on Arc Isle-about five minutes from home. Briana and I had talked about things, she was coming to live with me. Unfortunately, we had to wait on her paperwork so she was coming next week. During that time, I was tasked with finding us an apartment to move into. So, reaching my parent's house, I already saw who was there. This was big for my friends and family because they haven't seen me since the end of August 2016 when I left for the operations overseas-which I still couldn't tell them about and it sucked because I knew they wanted to know. Landing at home, I got off Toothless, then got him some fish and water. I got my bags and made my way into the house.

"WELCOME HOME, HARRISON!" was yelled as soon as they saw me. I smiled and saw the banner just over the TV, there was food and drinks on the large table against the wall near the sliding glass door.

"Awe, thanks everyone," I stated while getting a hug from my mother, father, then Nate-who just about refused to let go after that. I greeted Frankie, Regina, TJ, Dexter, Hailey, Syrus, Trevor, Chelsea, Addilyn, and Olivia. When all that was done, I hurried my bags upstairs and would unpack later. By the time I got back downstairs, I saw Glenn and Aaron had arrived.

"Good to have ya back, lad," Glenn shook my hand, then I did the same with Aaron.

"Great to be back, finally," I smiled. "Now, everyone sit down because I have a few announcements to make," I informed. See, I specifically told my family not to tell my friends about me and Briana being engaged, and no one knew that she was coming to live with me. This was going to be fun! When everyone was seated somewhere, I stood in a spot they could all see me. "Alright, first thing is first. My time in the US is up, I'm permanently stationed here from now on," I saw their faces light up. Okay, maybe I should clarify that statement. "Let me rephrase that; I'm stationed here UNLESS I get deployed again whether that be with the company, platoon, or…just by myself, which has happened twice now. Anyway, yes, I will be here,"

"That's wonderful news, son. I take it you still have to report to Fort Fury for drill weekends once a month, right?" Spencer asked.

"Yeah. Still last weekend of every month. Weird, they do it first weekend in the states. Moving on, next announcement is something I've been keeping a secret so please don't get mad because I wanted to tell you in person that Briana and me are engaged," they gasped and eyes widening in shock at the news. "I asked her to marry my on Snoggletog day and she said yes. I will show everyone the video later, because this information leads into the third announcement of Briana is transferring to Arc Isle and will be living here from now on,"

"Oh, my Gods! That's fantastic, Harrison!" Chelsea and Olivia squealed happily.

"Congrats, man," Trevor said with Syrus and Dexter nodding in agreement.

"When will she be here?" Frankie asked.

"Next week, waiting on her paperwork to finish," I told them. "So, last thing I gotta say is that Briana and I will also be getting our own place. I've been given the job of finding that place before she gets here," I chuckled.

"We'll help all we can!" my friends offered. This was good, I loved how happy they were about everything, truthfully, I'd been a bit nervous they would get mad at me, but I guess it worked out well. When I finished telling them what was going on, I showed them the engagement video, which had been taken by Carter since Alex, had my phone so my parents and brother could watch it live. Now, the next step in being home was finding an apartment for Briana and I to moving into.

 **[January 13** **th** **, 2017-New Apartment]**

Briana arrived on the 10th and I got the joy of taking her right to our new place because I'd taken care of everything. The next day after I had been home, I started calling around to see if anyone had an available apartment for rent. I got a few, but none would be ready until April. However, I got lucky on the 6th, Calvin told me about a side-by-side duplex being available for rent close to him. The best part, it was ten minutes from Berkys and under twenty-minutes from anyone else. Of course, that was all driving times-with flying it would be a lot shorter. So, the duplex was a two bedroom, one and a half bathroom. There was a driveway for one car and three stables outback. The yard was fenced on our side, a plus for the dragons at least. The apartment was going for $925 a month, but only included snow removal and garbage. The electricity was the tenant's responsibility.

This place was amazing. The layout was simple and big too! From the driveway, you would reach the front door. Going through that was a huge living room and kitchen, open concept, something Briana loved. Between the two rooms was a laundry room and half bathroom. Off to the left of the main door were the stairs leading up to the two bedrooms and full bathroom. From the main door and looking right, was the living room. The TV was against the wall with the entrance on it, there were two big couches across from one another and then a chair slightly off to the side near the wall and one of the couches. The kitchen had one entrance, a breakfast bar, double sink, lot of counter and cabinet space, fridge, stove/oven combo with a microwave over it. There was even a small utility corner closet. From where the sink was, you could look right into the living room and talk to guests or whatever. Yeah, this duplex was perfect and boy, did I get lucky with scoring it!

Briana fell in love with it, especially because I had the lease signed on the 7th and started furnishing it before she got here. All Briana had to do was move her stuff in and unpack, then we were all set. Today was the 13th, a Friday and we were having a house-warming party with everyone over to celebrate the engagement and having the new place. Briana signed the lease when she got here, so the place was ours now! The time was 5:30 pm, Briana and I were working on dinner whole everyone was looking around and admiring our home.

"This place is beautiful," Viviana said while making her way into the kitchen now.

"Thank you," Briana said in reply.

"I got lucky with Cal telling me about it, he lives about nine houses down on the left," I chuckled.

"I was curious, babe. Are you going back to work for him?" Briana wondered.

"Yeah. He already knows about my drill weekends or the chance of being called off at random, he said it was fine. I believe I start in two weeks, after we get settled in here and have some time together," I said gently as Briana blushed. She knew what it meant; I wanted to make love to her tonight after everyone left. Briana nodded to me and then her cell phone rang.

"Oh, it's Mom. Will you turn the music down a bit?" Briana asked and I nodded while moving over to the surround sound and turning the knob to the left as it got quieter. "Hi, Mama," Briana answered then put it on speakerphone.

" _Hi, sweetheart. What are you doing right now?"_ Mia asked softly.

"Um, having a house-warming/engagement party," Briana smiled.

" _That's great. So, your father and I have some news for you,"_ Mia began.

"Oh, God. Please don't tell me you two are having another baby?" Briana pleaded as I arched a brow.

" _Well, no. But we do have big news,"_ I heard Carter interject now.

"Okay, I'm listening," Briana said slowly, unsure how to respond to this.

" _Your mother, siblings, and I miss you a lot. It's not the same here without you, Briana,"_ Carter started.

" _Dad, stop teasing her! Sis, we're moving to Arc Isle so we can be closer to you!"_ Alex announced as Briana's eyes widened.

"W-What?" Briana stuttered, completely shocked as I moved next to her.

" _We're moving to Arc Isle, Briana. Your father and I both put in transfers to work at Fort Fury, they got approved and we already found a house. It's about fifteen minutes from your and Hayden's duplex, already furnished too! We sold the house here and all the furniture,"_ Mia went on and on as I saw Briana about to cry. Her family was doing all this because they knew Bri and I were getting married and wanted the families to be close together. I hugged her tightly as she smiled.

" _We'll be there by the end of January, isn't that great?"_ came Jasmine's voice.

"It's…God, I don't have the words to describe it," Briana responded finally.

" _Now we'll be closer and can help with wedding plans as soon as you tell us when you pick a date!"_ Mia giggled. I saw her look at the calendar as she flipped through to October 2017 and look at the 7th.

"Babe, can we?" Briana asked as I blinked. That was nine months away, could we plan a wedding in so little time. Who was I kidding, of course we could.

"Wherever, whenever. As long as I'm marrying you, we could do it tomorrow," I told her.

"We picked it," Briana stated as everyone went quiet. "October 7th, 2017," Briana said.

"That's…nine months away? You sure you can pull it off in that time?" Addilyn questioned.

"My fiancé is known as mister makes the impossible, very possible. We can do it," Briana reminded. I wrapped my arm around her waist and kissed her deeply. This was it, we had our own place together, we were engaged, her family was coming to live on Arc Isle in Berkville. And the best part, the wedding date was finally set. 


	41. Can't Wait

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; Harrison X Briana_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! In addition, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character Ella (Eira) Solveig. She belongs to a good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

41) Can't Wait

 _{Briana's POV}_

 **[February 17, 2017-Briana & Harrison's Place]**

I loved having my family here with my on Arc Isle. It was definitely an adjustment to be living with Harrison in a completely new location that I was not used to. Sure, I knew some of Harrison's home island, but not everything. I didn't have a car, I flew Nightstar everywhere I had to go but if driving was necessary, then I rode with Harrison in his truck. The house warming/engagement party at mine and Harrison's apartment was a complete success, and we set our wedding date too. Harrison and I didn't care that at the time we chose the date, it was only nine months away. Harrison and I weren't going extravagant for our wedding, something small for just family and close friends. Oh, did I also mention that Skye Ostberg and Andy Kingston were living here on Arc Isle too? Yep, they moved at the end of January and joined up with Sky Striker Company out of Fort Fury and the three of us were on Glenn's platoon, Wind Rider.

My parents were living fifteen minutes from Harrison and me. Mom and Dad got a four-bedroom house, it was beautiful too. Harrison, me, and our friends worked together to help my parents and siblings move in. Sky and Andy were living at Fort Fury, I guess they liked the accommodations. My family finally met Harrison's, thank the heavens that it went alright and both sides agreed that they'd mesh well together when Harrison and I got married in October. Harrison and me had gotten some planning done towards our wedding. We chose a place to have the ceremony, picked a cake, our first dance song plus the songs for special dances. Harrison planned to dance with his mother as I planned to dance with my father. I believe Harrison picked _Perfect Fan_ by the Backstreet Boys as his song for the dance with his mom. Me, I chose _Daddy Dance With Me_ by Krystal Keith for me and my Dad's dance. Harrison and I planned to dance to _I've Had The Time Of My Life_ from the movie Dirty Dancing.

It took a lot of convincing to get Harrison to agree, but he did and now we practiced it at least twice a night after he got home from Berkys. Yep, Harrison was working at his old job five to six days a week. Harrison would go in for 4 am to open the store, then he'd work anywhere from a ten to twelve hour shift. There were the occasional nights that Harrison didn't get home until 5 or 6 pm if Calvin was running late or they hit a bad rush and Harrison wouldn't leave them down a worker. I remember one time, Harrison got home at 7 pm, the poor guy was thoroughly exhausted. Calvin ended up promoting another worker who had been there a little less time than Harrison to Shift Supervisor, this person now had the ranking to open the store so Harrison didn't have to be in at 4 am anymore. Now his shifts were from 6:30 am to 4, 5, or 6:30 pm, it really depended on how busy it was.

Yeah, we had it pretty made for twenty-years-old and living on our own. I stayed home and took care of the dragons while Harrison worked. Normally, we'd spend his off days together by going on a date after we went shopping if it was needed. I kept the house tidied up throughout the week so Harrison wouldn't have to do more work when he got him. I typically had dinner ready when that time came around or sometimes I would go there to visit him for lunch and we'd sit outside in the grass with our dragons and Stormsky who was still with us and seemed to not have in interest in bonding as his brother, Streamwing and sister, Luna had with Nate and Emily. Oh, Nate was doing really well too! His cancer was still in remission, keeping up with his appointments and what not. Hell, I even think that Emily and Nate were getting closer together.

Harrison and I would both leave the duplex for the last weekend of the month for training at Fort Fury, it was a lot different from Fort Benning training and I like it more. Of course, when Harrison and I got home from Drill on the 29th of January, we had sex. Regardless of us being engaged or not, on the military base, there was no co-ed sleeping. I was with Olivia, Skye, Ella, Stephanie, and Chelsea in the girls barrack with other females from Sky Striker Company. Harrison shared a barrack with the guys. Harrison and me made love at least twice a week, sometimes it was only once depending on how tired he was from work. I didn't mind, at least he was honest about when he wasn't in the mood and so was I. Harrison and I never did it when I was on my period. Also we always used condoms and I was still on birth control, although, I wasn't using the same one as before.

Originally, I was on the birth control shot; I would get one shot and it lasted for three months. However, when I moved to Arc Isle, they don't have my insurance out here so I had to get a whole new plan and this took close to two weeks to do, there was only a rush on it because my shot wore off at the end of January. Now, I'm using the Nuva Ring; a birth control that goes in for three weeks and out for one. So, I started that right after my period ended even though my shot was still effective until the start of February. I had a new doctor and dentist now, my life was officially and finally settled here in Berkville. I couldn't be happier about my choice. I was marrying Harrison in October, just eight months away. Life was good, except for today; I didn't feel so good. The time was 4:30 pm, Harrison should be home in ten to fifteen minutes and I had dinner in the oven; it still had another twenty minutes to cook. I wasn't entirely sure what was wrong with me, I felt tired, bloated, a little crampy, and nauseated.

I heard a knock at the door and wondered who it could be, and then I remembered that tonight was dinner with the family night. Harrison and I did it once a week on a night everyone in our families was free. Spencer, Viviana, Nate, my parents and siblings would come over for dinner so we could all hang out and talk, occasionally discuss the wedding.

"Coming," I called as I forced myself off the couch and walked to the door to open it. "Hey," I smiled to them.

"Hi, Bri," Nate greeted with a wave. I hugged my parents, Harrison's parents, then my siblings and Nate while they all walked in and got comfortable in the living room.

"Dinner still has twenty minutes to go, Harrison should be home by then," I informed.

 **[Twenty Minutes Later]**

Yeah, I didn't feel good at all. My head was bothering me, I felt like I was going to throw up but refrained from it. Harrison would be home any minute and then we could all enjoy a peaceful dinner together. I heard Harrison's truck pull up into the driveway, then it shut off and he got out because I heard the door close. I saw him through the patio doors saying hi to our dragons as he did every night, finally he came inside the apartment.

"I'm home," Harrison stated while kissing my cheek then hanging his coat on the hanger by the main door, Harrison tossed down his keys and wallet on the small table in the corner by the hanger before coming over to greet everyone.

"How was work, Harrison?" Mia questioned.

"Long, busy, short staffed. One of the girls slipped and hurt her back, not sure how long she's going to be out for and someone else had to leave early to pick up their kid from school early. That put us down two from our seven which we opened with," Harrison sighed while cracking his neck. "Oh, and I managed to burn myself," Harrison shrugged.

"Are you alright, dear?" Viviana asked him.

"Grill trainee dropped a chicken breast into the fryolator when I was skimming it out to be drained. Nothing bad, just splattered and hit my hand," Harrison smiled as he moved towards me now and kissed me lightly. "How are you, Milady?"

"I'm okay, dinner should be done in a second or two," I replied lightly.

"Smells great," Harrison told me. I heard the oven beep and got to my feet and walked towards the kitchen. Harrison set up the table for dinner and served everyone, including me. I was feeling a bit better, and something else that crossed my mind, I was due for my period today, I suppose I would wake up tomorrow bleeding. I guess that's why I was feeling so shitty tonight. The rest of our evening was calm, I turned in around 10 pm due to being tired and Harrison joined me not long after. Hopefully, tomorrow I would feel all the way better.

 **[Three Days Later; 2/20/2017]**

Okay, so I was starting to think that something else was going on. My main reason for believing that is because my period is three days late. I was supposed to get it on the 17th, and it didn't come. I expect to end up with it on the 18th, but I was wrong. Now it was the 20th, and I still have not gotten it. However, my boobs were sore, I was moody, getting nauseated at random, and still having some mild cramps. I felt like it was something else and I knew there was only one-way to know for sure.

I went to the store to pick up a few household things; milk, bread, sandwich meats, and other things. I did grab one more thing; a pregnancy test. I knew I was on birth control and Harrison always used condoms so the chance was slim to none, but I had to check it for myself. My symptoms pointed to period, but also pregnancy. If I had gotten my period three days ago, I wouldn't even consider this to be a reason for what was going on with me. However, that wasn't the case. My period was three days late and I needed to know if it was for a medical reason or because I was carrying Harrison's baby. As soon as I got to the duplex, I put everything away and went to the half-bathroom to take the test.

Five minutes later, I nervously picked it up and looked at the screen. Two blue lines were staring back at me. The test was positive, I was pregnant. I was happy, excited but scared and unsure of how Harrison would take it. I knew he loved kids, he mentioned wanting them, but I assumed that was after we were married. I was pregnant now and couldn't have been more than a month in because I got my period in January. I took a deep breath and tried to decide what to do. I knew I had to tell Harrison, but I also wanted to go to the doctors and get checked out just to make sure. That was my next step, call my doctor.

 **[Four Days Later; Briana & Harrison's Residence]**

I just got home from the sonogram office and I was holding the picture in my hand. I couldn't believe it, I really was pregnant. After taking the home test, I labeled it with the date and time it was taken, then took a picture of it. I called my doctor right away and she had me come in on the 22nd for an office test. Of course, all that did was confirm what I found out on my own. My Nuva Ring was removed in office, and I was given a prescription for Prenatal Vitamins. I filled that the same day after leaving the office with my appointment to get a sonogram done. I was five weeks along right now. At the office, if I counted back right, I had been four weeks and five days along. And the day I took the test, I was four weeks and three days into the pregnancy. I knew this was something I should talk to Harrison about in private, but I knew he wouldn't freak out. It was one of the many things I loved about him.

Harrison was not the type of guy to wig out, he went with what felt right or the natural flow of things. Like when he got called for those super secret missions overseas last year. Harrison didn't get mad or ask questions, he went with it. Another time was Harrison just joining the army at eighteen. Why? Because it felt right to do it. This would just be another one of this situations and I knew exactly when to tell him and how I would do it. Harrison's 21st birthday was on Tuesday, the 28th and it would be the perfect time to tell him that he was going to be a father. And a bonus, everyone was coming over for the surprise party I just decided to plan. I'm sure I could pull it off in only four days. I hoped it came fast because I just can't wait!


	42. The Perfect Party Pt 1

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; Harrison X Briana_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! In addition, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character Ella (Eira) Solveig. She belongs to a good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

42) Perfect Party Pt. 1

 _{Briana's POV}_

 **[February 28** **th** **, 2017-Briana & Harrison Home]**

I don't know how I pulled it off, but I planned the entire birthday party in four days. I was informed by Harrison's parents when I told them about the idea that Harrison hasn't celebrated a birthday since he was thirteen-years-old. Of course, knowing this made it all the better because I planned this party out to be a surprise party for Harrison. It was his 21st birthday and I knew nobody else was twenty-one in the group yet, so I asked Dexter and Andy if they wouldn't mind picking up something alcoholic for Harrison to have tonight, maybe the three of them plus the parents would be willing to do a shot. I wasn't doing much decorating for this event, I knew Harrison wouldn't like all that. I grabbed some festive napkins and plates, then a pack of plastic utensils to use. I figured that we shouldn't bother using the real stuff, it would cut down on a number of dishes I had to do later on. I had my gift all ready to go for Harrison, I planned it out well and the best part is that when Harrison found out I was pregnant, so would everyone else.

I knew Harrison liked games, he loved being able to figure things out so I made a reveal game for him. It was a game board with questions on it and he had to fill in the blanks, then he would have to read out the full question to everyone. The last thing on the board was the pregnancy reveal written in the form of a poem. I couldn't wait for this, he was going to be so shocked and surprised. One of the things I did find out at my doctor's office on the 22nd when I went in for the confirmation appointment was that the shot and using Nuva Ring at the same time makes them negate one another. Of course, this left me unprotected at the end of January/early February, which is when I ovulated and conceived. My doctor informed me that based on how far along I was at the sonogram; I likely ovulated on February 3rd, the last day of my fertile week. Today, I was five weeks and four days along. In two days, I would be six weeks exactly, a month and a half into this pregnancy. Time really did fly.

I picked everything I would need for the party and when the guests I invited asked me if they could help, I just suggested bringing a small dessert or maybe an appetizer. I took care of getting the cake and main course. I was making dinner for the party, one of Harrison's favorites; lasagna and meatballs. I made two full pans of it and a smaller one just for him to enjoy at work since I know he got sick of eating the food at Berkys every single day, this would be a change up for him. I was having the party start at 3:30 pm, Harrison said he would be home at 4, since he went in at 4 am this morning when the original opener called out sick. I asked all the guests to arrive before 3:45 pm so that way we would have time to hide before Harrison got home. I invited all our friends! Harrison's family, my parents, and siblings, Trevor, Skye, Andy, Dexter, Hailey, Frankie, Chelsea, Olivia, Addilyn, TJ, Regina, Syrus. I even invited Glenn and Aaron to come out and enjoy the party, everyone had told me on Monday that they would be here.

The time now was 3:15 pm, I had the lasagna ready to go but I wouldn't put it in until 4 pm so it would be ready for 5. I wanted to give Harrison some time to get home, be surprised, say hi to everyone, and then I knew he would likely go take a shower before actually coming out to enjoy everything. I knew my parents were bringing chips and dip, Harrison's family was bringing drinks. I wasn't sure on the others, but I did ask that they don't bring too much as there is no way we would eat it all, I used the term _snacky_ foods when I suggested if they wanted to bring anything. I had cleaned the entire house today and made sure all the laundry was done, folded, and put away. I swept and mopped the kitchen, laundry, and half-bathroom. I vacuumed the living room, washed the windows and TV screen. I also dusted and wiped down the counters, made sure the dishes were done and put away in their rightful spot. I didn't worry a lot about upstairs since no one would be up there unless they were using the bathroom so I just closed the two bedroom doors.

I took a final look around and nodded my head in approval at the apartment. Everything was ready, now I just had to wait for guests to arrive and Harrison to come home from work, then the party could begin. I heard Toothless and Nightstar warbling for my attention, then remembered I promised they could be apart of the festivities too. I walked over to the sliding glass door and opened the curtains up, then moved the glass door but left the screen closed. It wasn't a very cold afternoon so I didn't think it would hurt any to leave the door open if I just turned the heat off, besides, with the oven on at four hundred and fifty degrees, if anyone was cold they could stand in front of that. I had asked that everyone either drive or car pool to the apartment, I, unfortunately, didn't have enough room to house everyone's dragons. Everything was all set to go, now it was just a matter of waiting for the big moment when Harrison learned he was going to be a father in just about thirty-four weeks.

There was a knock on the door as I made my way over and opened it up. I set my eyes on Addilyn, Frankie, Regina, and TJ first. "Hey! Glad you could come, guys," I greeted with a smile.

"We decided to ride together," Addy smiled back as they walked in after I moved off to the side. As I was going to close the door, I noticed my parents, brother, and sister arriving next.

"Hi, sis!" Jasmine giggled.

"Hi! Come right in, okay?" I told them.

"Where do we put gifts?" TJ asked.

"Uh, we can set them in the laundry room for now, on the washer and dryer," I replied while pointing to the laundry room door. My family came in as I walked around to round up everyone's coats and place them in the closet by the staircase on hangers. I went over to hug them, happy they were there. Another knock had me smiling, more people were arriving and this would be the fullest the apartment has ever been. Thank God our neighbors were away on a two-week vacation. "Come on in, doors unlocked!" I called. The next people to walk in were Andy and Skye, the two probably drove together from Fort Fury which was an hour away.

"Bri!" Skye cheered happily, as she hugged me tightly, then I noticed Nate, Spencer, and Viviana coming in after Andy did.

"So you think Harrison will be surprised or what?" Nate asked me as I hugged him.

"I hope so, if not I did all this work for nothing," I laughed a little. The door opened again after there were two knocks, this time the guests to enter were Syrus, Trevor, Dexter, and Hailey, but after them, it was Chelsea and Olivia. The last to arrive at 3:45 pm on the dot was Aaron and Glenn. I made sure everyone's coats were in the closet and I decided to put the lasagna's in and start them early. I knew the meatballs would not take long at all; I could bake those when there were only fifteen minutes left.

"When is Harrison due home again?" Olivia asked.

"I believe he said around 4:10 pm when I talked to him before the lunch rush hit," I replied. For the next twenty-five minutes, everyone talked about what they got him except me or it would give away I was pregnant. It was almost time, we planned to do presents after dinner was over, then we'd do cake. There wasn't much longer to wait now, Harrison should be home any minute and he wouldn't suspect a thing because I had everyone park at the school and walk across the street, I knew Harrison wouldn't see their cars because it got dark by 4 pm at this time of year. This was so exciting, I couldn't wait to see the look on Harrison's face when he finds out I'm pregnant!

 _{Normal POV}_

 **[An Hour Later]**

Briana was starting to worry about her fiancé. It was 5:15 pm, and Harrison wasn't home, nor was he answering calls or text messages to his mobile. Finally, she decided to just call the store herself and find out what was going on. Briana got her cell out of her pocket and dialed Berkys after having everyone be quiet when she put it on speakerphone.

" _Berkys, this is Calvin,"_ the man answered.

"Calvin, it's Briana. Is Harrison there?" Briana inquired gently.

" _Sure is, sitting in the office and taking it easy as I ordered him to do,"_ Calvin replied. Okay, Briana didn't like how that sounded.

"Why? What happened?" Briana wondered, a little concern to her voice.

" _Cal, give me the phone,"_ they heard Harrison say.

" _No chance, my friend. I know you, you're going to tell her you're okay when you damn well know you're not,"_ Calvin retorted.

"Calvin, tell me what happened to him, please?" Briana asked quickly, fear rising now.

" _Your fiancé gave everyone a heart attack at work when he passed out and remained unconscious for fifteen minutes,"_ Calvin informed. Briana instantly brought a hand to her chest with worry as everyone else gasped.

"What?! Is he okay? How did this happen?" Briana demanded to know.

" _Harrison stayed a little later to help out with a rush that started at 4:45 pm when he was getting ready to leave. However, the rush got bad and Harrison was helping out front counter, then all of a sudden, one of the girls screamed. I left the sandwich station and saw Harrison passed out on the floor. My employee told me that Harrison had just stopped what he was doing for a minute, he was out of breath, didn't seem like he was there anymore, and then he just hit the floor. After five minutes, I called 911,"_ Calvin explained.

"Oh, God. S-Should I come get him?" Briana asked.

" _No, it's alright, Briana. I'm bringing him home myself in his truck and then my wife is going to take me back to the store,"_ Calvin replied.

"Okay, thank you, Calvin, for taking care of him. I'll make sure he continues to take easy here at home," Briana insisted. After that, the call ended as she sighed heavily.

"Odd, what would make him suddenly pass out at work?" Trevor mentioned first.

"I don't know. Maybe the paramedics who arrived told Calvin something about it," Briana sat down after setting the cell phone on the table by the couch. Hopefully, they could get some answers when Calvin arrived with Harrison. Knowing all this, they felt it would be best not to jump out and surprise Harrison-it would be shocking enough for him to see everyone over. Ten minutes went by before Harrison's truck was heard pulling up and shutting off. One door opened, revealing Calvin and then the other with Harrison stepping out slowly. Calvin moved next to him to make sure he didn't just pass out again. Briana was first to open the door and see her fiancé standing there with his Berkys shirt slightly unbuttoned, the hat was off and looked not like himself. Harrison looked a little pale and utterly exhausted.

Harrison, on the other hand, saw Briana first and her concerned expression. However, after that, he saw his family, Briana's, his friends, and even his commanding officers. Harrison didn't understand, why was everyone over? Had Briana told them he passed out and they came rushing to make sure he was okay? Harrison noticed the table was set, even the banner on the wall that said 'Happy Birthday!' on it. "Whats…all this?" Harrison asked slowly.


	43. The Perfect Party Pt 2

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; Harrison X Briana_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! In addition, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character Ella (Eira) Solveig. She belongs to a good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

43) Perfect Party Pt. 2

 _{Harrison's POV}_

 **[2/28/17-Briana & Harrison's Apartment-5:25 pm]**

I insisted about ten times to Calvin that I did not need to be driven home and was fine, but the man didn't gave me a choice in the matter. It was be taken home by him in my truck or have Briana come pick me up, but either way; I was not permitted to drive home alone after I had passed out for fifteen minutes at work. I was fine earlier today then just before lunchtime I started feeling sick. It started with a little fatigue and I shook it off to keep working. As the rush started, I formed a pounding headache and began to feel nauseous. When Calvin came in at 4 pm, I started doing my end of shift work, then it got slammed so I decided to stay and help out. At 4:45 pm, I don't even know what came over me, but my body just shut down on me suddenly.

I zoned out for ten second, and then everything went black. The next time I woke up, there were paramedics there and checking me over. After that, the rush seemed to be over as I realized it was fifteen minutes later. Therefore, here I was now back at home with Briana was standing in the doorway, looking worried for me. Of course, I happened to notice that my parents, Nate, Briana's parents and siblings were over, so were all our friends plus my commanding officers. I didn't understand what was going on, and then I caught sight of the birthday banner on the wall near the dining room table which was opened with the extra pieces in to extend it out.

"What's…all this?" I asked slowly.

"It was a surprise birthday party for you, but since all _this_ happened, not so much anymore," Briana sighed lightly as Glenn and Aaron moved to the door seeing as they were closest and assisted me in getting in the living room, then sitting down in my recliner chair. "Thank you for bringing him home, Calvin," my fiancé said to my boss.

"It was no trouble. Harrison is like a nephew to me," Calvin smiled a little.

"Can you tell us what happened?" my mother asked gently.

"It was nothing, Ma," I stated trying to get up again.

"Harrison. I swear to Odin you had better sit down, shut the hell up, and relax. You didn't faint; you passed out and were unconscious for fifteen minutes!" Calvin scolded me as I sat back while crossing my arms over my chest and sighed. "You didn't even know where you were when you woke up. You started going on about something regarding the military and missions. I have no idea, but, you heard the paramedics in the office; you have a concussion and were told to take it easy," he added firmly.

"That's why he passed out?" Addilyn asked.

"According to the paramedics; he passed out because he was doing too much at once and to top it off, he's sick and has been since before lunch," I tensed a little when Calvin said that, how had he known I was sick? "Briana, the paramedics said he should be fine with some rest for the next few days and no driving either. In addition, if it gets worse to go to the hospital. I gotta get back to Berkys because they only have Jackson on right now and that guy cannot handle a mad rush. And Harrison," Calvin paused as I looked at him. "You're off work until Monday, got it?

I sarcastically saluted him with two fingers, "Aye aye, sir,"

"Have a good night. Oh, and Happy Birthday, kid. See ya around," Calvin smiled before exiting the apartment and everyone was suddenly looking at me.

"What?" I asked. I felt like everyone was about to start yelling at me for what happened, but, I was wrong. I watched Briana walk over to me and kiss my forehead, and then she smiled.

"That's enough now," Briana said lightly with her hand up to the others. "Regardless of what happened, you're home safe and sound. And because it's your birthday, the others and me aren't going to give you a hard time. So, why don't we all just let this one slide and get this party started? If you're up for it, babe?" I was shocked, my fiancé wasn't going to scold me? Well, who was I to argue?

"I'm always down for a party with family and friends, so yeah, let's do it," I shrugged. "And…is that lasagna and meatballs I smell?" my eyes lit up.

Briana laughed a little and nodded. "Sure is. I even made you your own personal one for work, well, when you go back that is. Alrighty, party on then. Everyone can move to the table, but birthday boy gets his first!" she announced. "And you stay right here in your chair, just turn it around so you can face the rest of us," she added. I nodded to her and got up to shift the chair so I would be facing them. Briana got me a plate of lasagna and two meatballs along with a bottle of water, afterward, she kissed the top of my head and went on to serve others or help. Man, I was truly blessed indeed.

 _{Normal POV}_

 **[7:20 pm]**

Everyone had eaten their dinner and complimented Briana on how fantastic it tasted. Harrison remained in his seat but enjoyed the meal, or at least what little of it that he ate. Lasagna and meatballs was Harrison's favorite, but with his stomach bothering him, he did not want to push his chances of throwing up so he only ate half the piece Briana got for him and one meatball. Harrison kept on the water and Mia, Briana's mother had suggested an ice pack for his throbbing head. Now, everyone was seated around the living room as Harrison opened his presents. Most of them were cards with money or gift cards in them so he could shop for himself. There were some actual gifts too. Harrison ended up getting a large, framed picture of the original Wind Rider Platoon, those who were in the group before they were killed.

There was only one person left to give their gift; Briana. "Alright, Briana, you're last to go," Nate told his future sister-in-law.

"I wanted mine to be last because it will be the best," Briana chuckled.

"Oh, so sure of that, are you?" Harrison looked up at Briana now as she grabbed her gift to him and handing it over. "Geeze, babe, did ya get me a story book?" Briana smacked him upside the back of the head. "Ow, whacked head on the floor earlier, remember," Harrison grumbled while rubbing the back of his head.

"Just be quiet and open the gift, that card first," Briana told him with a smile as she sat back on the couch. Harrison rolled her eyes as he grabbed the first car off the top and placed the rest beside him. "And you have to read it out loud," she added.

Harrison opened the first card, which was a piece of paper folded in half. "I know you were expecting a gift, but I decided to make you work for it. This is a game to see how much you know about us. Now flip this over to the back for instructions on how to play _Guess My Gift_ ," Harrison read as he closed the card and flipped it to the back. "Welcome to _Guess My Gift_! Here is what you have to do; search the apartment for the game board. I'll give you a hint; where you hold me close," he repeated. Harrison looked back at her. "Really, you made this a scavenger hunt?"

"Yes. Now humor me and do what the paper says," Briana replied as Harrison got up off the floor and started in the bedroom first, of course, he came out holding a poster board with a five pack of markers. On the board was a bunch of questions with blank spaces. Everyone was becoming confused. Harrison placed it on the floor and grabbed the paper again.

"Did you find it? Good. This is a fill in the blanks game. The rule is that you have to do this in front of everyone and read the questions aloud, also read the full question after answering. The words you need are listed on the paper in the envelope on top of the gift. Let's see how well you know us. Hope you do well because you can't move on until you complete this. You won't get any hints or help from others. Are you ready, baby? Go!" Harrison read as he looked over the board. Truthfully, everyone was a little confused but excited. Harrison got the envelope and opened it to see the number corresponding to a question, then letters or numbers to follow it.

"Alright. First question. Blank seventh, twenty-blank is when began blank. Okay, uh…" Harrison paused grabbing the green marker first and leaning over to start filling in answers. "AUGUST 7th, 2015 is when we began DATING. P.S, there is a bonus gift if you remember where. Well, that's easy. We started dating in Kuwait while taking the flight on Toothless. Next one is We became blank blank blank on December blank, 2016," Harrison didn't even need the optional word list for this one. He smiled a bit while filling it in with a black marker now. "We became BABY NIGHT FURY OWNERS on December 28th, 2016," he said.

"This is kind'a fun," Regina giggled with Addilyn.

"Third shows; Our blank blank was in the blank on August blank blank for our blank," Harrison stopped a minute trying to think as he looked at the available words and smiled shaking his head. Harrison got the purple marker and filled in the blanks. "Our FIRST TIME was in the HOTEL on August 7th, 2016 for our ANNIVERSARY." Harrison as Nate laughed.

"Hah! Knew it!" Nate stated as Harrison face-palmed hard and shook his head.

"Fourth question reads; We got blank over blank last year," Harrison grabbed the red marker and filled it in right away. "We got ENGAGED over SNOGGLETOG last year," he read off.

"Fifth is, We're going to get blank in blank months on blank blank blank," Harrison got the blue marker now as he checked the word list and figured it out pretty easily. "We're going to get MARRIED in EIGHT months on OCTOBER 7th, 2017," Harrison sat back to crack his back. The last question is a poem I wrote. Fill in the blanks! Also, you can open the gift after you've figured it out. I love you! –Bri," Harrison read the side note on the board.

Harrison looked over the board and word list, making sure to keep it hidden from the sight of others. _'Okay. Roses are blank. Violets are blank. Blank has been busy because our blank blank blank!'_ Harrison thought while glancing at all the available words. Okay, this made him think a lot. It couldn't have been engagement or marriage, he already answered those. What the hell could it be? Well, he might as well start with the easy ones. _'Roses are RED. Violets are Blue,'_ he filled in. Harrison looked at it more, there were only four words left to put down. Due, Is, Cupid, and Baby. Reading over the sentence again, he tried to make sense of it. While he did that, Briana ended up getting to her feet to get a water bottle from the fridge, now leaning against the wall to relax, not far from Harrison though.

' _Roses are red. Violets are blue...'_ Harrison stopped as the words made sense as his eyes widened and he quickly turned around to face her. "Not uh!" Harrison said in shock, which took everyone by surprise. "Not uh, no way! Shut up!" Briana giggled a little as his reaction. "Oh my Gods! Are you serious?! Really?!" Harrison asked again as Briana moved closer to him with a smile as she got the wrapped gift and handed it to him. No body understood what was going on anymore. Harrison looked to be in shock, disbelief, but utter excitement.

"Open your gift or we'll never get to cake," Briana said softly. Harrison took the ribbon off first, then tore the wrapping paper off as he had what appeared to be square box in his hands. At that moment, although nobody could see what he was holding; they could see that he was staring at the gift and looked like he was about to cry. Briana was sitting next to him with a smile. "Happy Birthday, babe," Briana kissed his cheek. Harrison let the gift rest on his knees as she hooked Briana cheek and kissed her deeply, then a few little ones as Briana giggled in between them. Finally, Harrison put the box down on his chair as he got up and hugged her tightly.

"Is this for real? I know what I saw, but…Oh my God, are you really?" Harrison asked.

"I am," Briana replied with a nod.

"Do the rest of us get to find out what has Harrison almost in tears?" Regina asked. Harrison kissed Briana again before he moved to the board and filled in the answers because he knew Briana would want the memories.

"What was the poem?" Aaron asked next.

"Roses are red. Violets are blue. Cupid has been busy because our baby is due," Harrison stated as everyone gasped and looked at Briana quickly.

"OMG! Briana, are you pregnant?!" Skye screeched out as Briana leaned her head on Harrison's shoulder and nodded.

"Five weeks and four days along today," Briana replied softly. Instantly, there was screaming and cheering in the room.

"Yay! I get to be an uncle before Snoggletog this year just like I wanted!" Nate exclaimed. "When is the baby due?!" he asked quickly going over to hug Harrison and Briana.

"That's the second part of Harrison's gift," Briana smiled as Harrison arched a brow. "The baby is due twenty days after our wedding. October 27th, 2017. Oh, and there is _one more_ thing," she hinted with chuckle.

"Awe, babe, I don't know if I can handle anymore surprises," Harrison laughed a little. Briana left his side, got something out of her purse, and handed it to him. "You had a sonogram already?" he asked as she nodded, "This was taken four days ago," he mentioned looking over it closely. "Wait a second," he paused bringing it closer then his eyes widened in shock before lowered the black and white picture and looking at his fiancé.

"What? What is it?" Addilyn asked quickly.

"Uh, Harrison? Gonna tell us what has you so surprised, well, again?" Glenn inquired curiously.

"Are they sure?" Harrison asked Briana as she nodded excitedly. "Well, shit," Harrison blinked a few times before he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her deeply.

"Boy, out with it!" Spencer demanded.

"Briana's having twins," Harrison chuckled a bit as he flipped the sonogram around showing the two babies labeled on the sonogram as 'Baby A' and 'Baby B' in separate spots.

"WHAT?!" everyone exclaimed.

"I'm having twins, fraternal according to the doctor four days ago at the appointment. I found out I was pregnant on the 20th with a home test because my period had been three days late. On the 22nd, I went to my doctor to have it confirmed and then got the sonogram appointment on the 24th and decided to make the reveal today for Harrison's birthday," Briana explained.

"Well, you two are certainly going to have your hands full, but congrats either way. I'm sure you'll make great parents," Chelsea giggled. That's how it was for the next twenty minutes, everyone swooning over the news and congratulating Harrison and Briana. Harrison ended up showing them the gift; it was a shadow box with Briana's pregnancy test in it, still showing positive too with the date and time she took it at. Under that were the words; 'Can't Wait To Meet You, Daddy!' After that it was written 'Arriving October 27th, 2017!' That was the topid the rest of the party too, the pregnancy and some wedding details thrown in. Most of which got talked over during cake. For Harrison, he was over the moon about the news. Sure, it was going to be crazy now to plan their wedding, and work on getting things ready for the arrival of not one but two babies! In his honest opinion, this was the best birthday ever.

Harrison didn't get scolded for what happened at work with him passing out and now having a concussion, he was celebrating his 21st birthday with all the people he cared about, Harrison just learned he was going to be a father of two and everything was just amazing in his life right now; this truly was the perfect party.


	44. Time Is Flying By

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; Harrison X Briana_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! In addition, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character Ella (Eira) Solveig. She belongs to a good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

44) Time Is Flying By

 _{Harrison's POV}_

 **[Friday-June 16, 2017-Undisclosed Location]**

For the life of me, I could not begin to tell you how hard it was to process that my fiancé, Briana was twenty-one weeks pregnant with our twins. It was so unbelievable how much time had come and gone leading up to this afternoon. Today was the baby shower/gender reveal! Me, of course, I wasn't home. Another mission to take care of, but I promised Briana that I would be home in time for the big reveal of what we were having. It was hard to wrap my head around the fact that Briana was at the end of her fifth month in this pregnancy. In six days, she would start her sixth. God, I could not wait to be a father! Sure, it wasn't planned that Briana got pregnant, but it just worked out that way. However, it did throw a wrench into the wedding plans because now we had to plan for Briana's dress to fit for when she'd basically be in her ninth month. Boy, that wasn't easy to handle and to be truthful, I still don't think it had been worked out yet.

I wouldn't know because currently, I'm a mission to track someone down and discover what mass destruction weapon they are building. So far, all I've gathered is that is something called _Red Death_. I didn't know what it was, but this whole thing is why I haven't been able to tell my family, friends, or even my fiancé what is going on. I know that they all wanted to know, they have been curious since Nate's cancer when they found out why I didn't answer them for two months. And again, it got worse when I was called away from Nate's remission party and was gone for four months. This stuff is major and if it ever got out, panic would likely ensue. I guess it was my job to not only make everyone think everything was okay, but also find out all I could so we could plan a counter attack to stop whatever this Red Death weapon is. I've been here for three weeks. I was supposed to be home by now, but tracking my target is damn near impossible and then trying to get close enough to do recon is a chore for sure.

So, a little update on how things have been since my twenty-first birthday. I ended up sick for three days, nothing bad though. Of course, I rushed to Berkys when I was better and told Calvin and the crew the good news about Briana being pregnant with twins! Calvin and my work friend were happy for me and I did return to work that following Monday on Calvin's newly renovated schedule. Apparently, I'm no longer allowed to work more than ten hours and only five days a week now. Also, no more doubles. I evidently gave Calvin and the crew a heart attack when I passed out that day, so there would be no more taking the chance that I was over tired, stressed out, or over worked. I suppose I didn't mind the lessened hours, after all, I'd need time with my family. Only three months to go really, and about that long until I got married too! I could not wait.

The next biggest thing is that right before I left for my mission, Briana had a sonogram and I loved being able to hear the twin's heartbeats. Also, we were able to find out the gender, but Briana wanted to wait to reveal it with everyone so the technician put the genders of both babies in an envelope and we gave it to a bakery to make two small cakes. The gender would be displayed as the cake portion under the frosting. It would either be light purple or dark green. Purple because that was Briana's favorite color and green because it was mine, our own little twist on the reveal and totally my idea. I wanted to be home, I was sick of these missions because they were ONLY me. This was stupid and dangerous! I get they wanted answers but sending just _one_ soldier and a Night Fury to get them? What if I got caught and captured? I suppose they did it because Toothless was fast and I was very good at sneaking around undetected.

In the beginning, I had teams with me, but things changed when they were killed and I had to watch it helplessly at that. Those times, I was captured and I watched each of them die. Toothless and I broke out and got away but the others were gone. I guess that is why I didn't fight my commanding officers when they suggested I go alone from now on. Briana knew a little of the work I was doing, but not the full extent. Bri didn't know that Toothless and me were running the missions alone and she didn't know that I was infiltrating enemy bases to do recon on this Red Death weapon. All I gathered on this trip was that it could destroy in mass quantities and only one person knew how to control it's power. The same guy who could make dragons do as he says; Dominic Bludvist. I've seen this guy once or twice on my missions; he's a complete psycho and I didn't know much about him. That was also part of my work, learn more about Dominic.

I think what I hated most about these operations were that I couldn't tell anyone. Glenn and Aaron knew what my objective was, but not even they knew everything I was doing when I got these mini deployments. I reported to Colonel Dawson who informed anyone else about what was going on. I saw so much during these times alone; dragons and humans being tortured, forced to work, and killed. Gods, I hated it so much and there wasn't anything I could do because my job was to gather information, not engage. I was already in danger doing this shit alone, my best option of survival was to not draw attention to myself or risk losing the location and not being able to sneak in the way that I do. I checked my watch now, it was a little after 4 am and was told that once I checked this out, I could report in, then make my trip home. It should only take me fourteen or so hours, even with breaks. Well, it's been quiet for the last three hours, safe to say I wasn't getting anything this round, may as well call it a night, rather morning.

I lifted my radio and pressed the button on the side. "Alpha Fury calling Command One. I repeat, Alpha Fury calling Command One. Over,"

" **Command One to Alpha Fury. We read you three out of five, go ahead. Over,"** came the voice of the radio operator manning the station that I called to make reports.

"Location secured. Target in place. Nothing new to report. Permission to return home? Over," I said.

" **Copy that. Operations leader says you are cleared to go home, Alpha Fury. Check in when you arrive. Over,"** the man stated.

"Orders confirmed. Until next time. Alpha Fury over and out," I replied before tucking the radio into it's pocket on my vest and then slipping on my mask before getting off the roof I was hiding on and jumping down to get to Toothless. I reached him and smiled. "Ready to go home bud?" I asked. Toothless crooned as I jumped on his back and pat his neck a few times. Toothless warbled as he lifted into the sky as we turned towards the direction for home. It was at that moment when I heard shouting and looked back. Fuck! We got spotted. "Go, Toothless!" I urged him. Toothless shot off at top speed and got us out of range, but not before I got a deep graze on right arm. "Ah! Shit," I cussed clamping a hand over it. Toothless warbled in worry for me. "I-I'm okay, bud. Just get us far away from here," I told him. Toothless gave a nod as we continued through the early morning sky back to Arc Isle.

 _{Normal POV}_

 **[Briana & Harrison's Residence; 5:30 pm]**

"Bri, calm down. Harrison said he wouldn't miss this and you know he doesn't make a promise he can't keep," Skye reminded a worried Briana who was pacing impatiently because as many times as they'd tried to call Harrison, he wasn't picking up and it was going straight to voicemail too. Briana didn't like that because she knew Harrison was running dangerous missions and could be hurt, the worst part was that she had no idea until he checked in with her. Thus far, it had been three days and nothing from him at all to let them know he was okay.

As if on queue, Toothless roar was heard and Nightstar responded to it. Everyone's heads shot up and saw Harrison flying in on Toothless, who landed shortly after they spotted him. "Harrison, you made it," Briana squealed as she waddled her way over to her fiancé as he was getting off Toothless's back. Briana wrapped her arms around his figure as Harrison hissed in pain, Briana pulled back then felt something wet on her hand. Glancing at it, she saw blood. "Oh my god! You're bleeding, why are you bleeding?!" she demanded quickly.

"Hey, relax. Stress isn't good for you or the twins, the doctor warned you about that," Harrison sighed as he put his hand back over the wound, old blood still showing on his forearm and other hand. "I'm fine, babe, it's just scratch," he smiled and kissed her forehead. Of course, as soon as he tried to walk away, Glenn and Aaron stopped him. Aaron took off the vest, then moved Harrison's arm as Glenn unzipped the black and gray ACU and moved it off Harrison's right arm to get a better luck.

"Scratch my ass, that's a deep graze, Haddock," Glenn remarked. "Start talking,"

Harrison jerked away from both of them as he fixed his uniform. "You know I can't. It is above your heads, it happened as I was leaving and that is all I can tell you. You want more answers, take it up with Colonel Dawson," Harrison grabbed his radio off the back of his belt. "Alpha Fury to Command One. Over,"

" **Command One to Alpha Fury. We read four out of five. Location update. Over."** replied a male voice.

"Home Isle. Over." Harrison informed.

" **Nice work, Alpha Fury. You never disappoint and we're one step closer to getting this-,"** started another voice.

"Gonna have to stop you there, C1. First off, not even close to where we need to be. Secondly, I'm with civilians and unauthorized personnel. Continuing this conversation any further without a secure line jeopardizes the mission and is in violation of regulations. Over," Harrison cut the man off.

" **Well done, soldier. We'll keep you posted on when to come back. Over,"** the man stated firmly.

"Orders confirmed and understood. Alpha Fury over and out," Harrison said before turning the radio off and putting it in his vest, then gathering his stuff up and going inside the duplex. No one could really say anything, they knew Harrison couldn't talk about it and stood firm to those orders; it showed in how the radio conversation went. Harrison returned outside half an hour later, no longer in uniform and wearing a t-shirt. It was easy to see that Harrison had taken care of whatever injury was on his arm before he had it wrapped up and no blood coming through anymore.

"You're an SOS, aren't you?" Dexter asked.

"Excuse me, a what? Doesn't SOS stand for, like, save our ship or something?" Regina wondered.

"SOS for army stands for Special Ops or Operations Soldier. We know you can't tell us, but if we guess, then you didn't. Just nod. You're an SOS, aren't you?" Trevor stated. Everyone watched, but Harrison didn't make any more to confirm what his friends were asking.

"Look. I know it sucks not knowing what is going on and if I was allowed, I would tell you, but I can't. I'll get into serious trouble," Harrison started as his eyes shifted up and down and then he used his arms to reference around and to himself. "As soon as I can tell you, I will. Until then, please leave it alone," he added as his friends understood that Harrison was being watched closely so he couldn't actually make any notions about what they asked. However, they saw his eyes go up and down, that was Harrison's way of nodding to them without making it obvious.

"Sorry, man. We just worry about you. Anyway, I think it's time we found out the genders of the newest Haddock family members," Syrus smiled as Harrison breathed a sigh of relief and went over to hold Briana closely.

"Ready to find out what we're having?" Harrison asked her as she smiled and nodded to him. Briana saw the message loud and clear too. As much as it sucked, Harrison wasn't allowed to bend these rules or he was in big trouble. Operations like this were major security and Harrison already mentioned that further talk over the radio alone could jeopardize things. For now, it was best not to give Harrison a hard time because one; he couldn't talk about it and two; it seemed like he was stressed out enough as it was.

Briana had already opened all her baby shower gifts, there was also a small bridal shower for just the girls earlier in the day, now it was time for the gender reveal portion. Harrison and Briana reached the table where the two cakes were resting on the table. White frosting, with purple, yellow, green and blue decorations and a big question mark on top of each. There was also, one labeled for Baby A and Baby B. Harrison handed her the knife as everyone gathered around to see the big moments. The first cake was cut into, a small piece placed on a plate and moved out of the way. The second cake was next, Briana and Harrison repeating the same process.

"WELL!?" the family and friends yelled impatiently. Harrison and Briana smiled wide as they each picked up a cake and turned it around revealing the colors to the group. For the cake labeled A; it was green! The second one marked for Baby B was green too!

"We're having boys!" Briana and Harrison announced together. After that it was cheering and congratulations all over again, hugs and handshakes too as the cake was served and everyone enjoyed the remainder of the party. The next big event was Harrison and Briana's wedding, neither of them could wait! Before Harrison went away on his mission work, some more wedding planning had been done, so everything was in the works. All they needed now was for the big day to come. In just three months, he'd be married to the love of his life and a father of two boys-the time was flying right by indeed.


	45. Pleasantly Unplanned

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; Harrison X Briana_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! In addition, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character Ella (Eira) Solveig. She belongs to a good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

45) Pleasantly Unplanned Day

 **[10/07/2017-Harrison & Briana's Place-9 pm]**

The last three months had been amazing for Harrison and Briana. By some grace of God, Harrison didn't have to return to his special operation missions to an undisclosed location overseas at all, mainly because Harrison put his foot down saying that he was dead center of Briana's pregnancy and planning his wedding. Briana was would thirty-seven weeks tomorrow, only three more to go until the arrival of their twin boys; names were still being decided. All the wedding planning had been going great; everything was ready to go for tomorrow. Harrison and Briana were also preparing the nursery for their twins; the baby shower had helped a lot in getting things ready. It was hard to do since they needed two of everything. However, it worked out because everyone got them something the day of the baby shower.

Briana's parents and Harrison's parents provided a crib and changing table for each baby. Each set from a parent had previously belonged to Briana and Harrison when they were babies-completely reinforced and refurbished to hold the children until they could go to toddler beds when they were two or three-years-old. Addilyn, Regina, Olivia, Chelsea, and Hailey all pitched in to get bibs, bottles, burp rags, onsies, clothes, and pacifiers. Glenn got a convertible car seat and Aaron provided a rocking chair. Dexter bought them a baby swing. TJ and Frankie bought a deluxe pack and play. Trevor bought the second car seat while Syrus just got a diaper bag, diapers, and wipes for them. Oh, the parents of both Harrison and Briana also got diapers and wipes too. Harrison has spent most of his free time assembling things and arranging the nursery how Briana wanted it to be.

Tonight was the rehearsal dinner and it was being held at Harrison and Briana's place because the only people needed were the bride and groom's families and the wedding party. Harrison chose his little brother as Best Man, but since Nate wasn't eighteen yet, Syrus was going to be Harrison's witness on the marriage license form. Harrison's Groomsmen were Frankie, TJ, Trevor, Alexander, Syrus, Andy, and Trevor. Briana chose her best friend, Skye as Maid of Honor and her Bridesmaids were Jasmine, Olivia, Chelsea, Hailey, Addilyn, Regina, and Nate's friend, Emily. It was the only way to make it even on both sides, which is what Briana wanted anyway.

"So, what's the plan for tonight?" Nate asked.

"Well, Harrison can't stay here with Briana, it's against traditions and bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding," Mia informed.

"I'll stay on the couch and Bri can have the bedroom. I'll leave in the morning when the girls come to get her ready, we won't see each other," Harrison stated. "Sorry, I don't feel comfortable leaving her here alone all night when she's thirty-seven weeks pregnant," he added. "So, I'll stay on the couch and we'll be fine,"

"Seems alright to me. We'll expect you over to get ready, Harrison, shall we say 6 am?" Trevor wondered.

"Works. See you guys then. And you, you're falling asleep, babe," Harrison pointed out as he helped Briana to her feet and led her upstairs to the bathroom, and then to the bedroom. "If you need me, I'm right downstairs," he reminded. Briana and Harrison shared a kiss after she nodded and closed the door to go to sleep. Harrison watched everyone leave, he locked up the duplex and then he took his place on the couch with a blanket and pillow. Tomorrow, he'd be married to the love of his life and he couldn't wait.

 **[10/7/17-3:45 am]**

Briana had been awake since 3 am because she was uncomfortable and in pain too. Briana assumed it might have been Braxton Hicks contractions, which she'd been warned about by the doctor at her last appointment. However, this had been going on for nearly an hour and the pain was enough to bring her to tears, she had a weird feeling about it and didn't want to take the chance of something being wrong. Briana forced herself out of bed, wincing a bit and trying to breathe through it. Briana reached the bedroom door, then leaned over the railing to the stairs some.

"Har-ris-on," Briana tried, but knew it wasn't loud enough to wake her deep sleeper fiancé. "HARRISON!" she called louder. Downstairs, Harrison awoke with a start and sat up quickly. "Harrison, wake up, please!" he heard Briana call for him. Throwing the covers off, Harrison raced up the stairs to see her in pain.

"Bri, are you okay? What's wrong?" Harrison asked quickly.

"I-It just hurts, babe. I've been uncomfortable and in pain for nearly an hour," Briana whimpered a little.

"Okay, take it easy, Love. The doctor said you'd be uncomfortable towards the end, and the pain is probably the false labor pains," Harrison assured.

Briana shook her head. "Harrison, its more than that. I don't know…how to word it, but I would…just feel better if we went to the hospital to make…ow, sure," she winced a little.

"Alright. Let me grab your bag just in case we end up staying, and we'll go," Harrison told her as she nodded. Harrison grabbed the bag and helped Briana down the stairs carefully, then the two went outside to get to Briana's car-the invested in it not long ago since it would be easier to have the car seats there instead of Harrison's truck. Harrison got Briana in the car, then himself as the two were gone after assuring the dragons that it would be okay.

 **[Berkville Memorial Hospital]**

By the time they got there, it was 4:10 am. Briana was taken right to labor and delivery to be checked over. At the moment, the two were sitting in the temporary room with Briana hooked up the monitors that kept the nurses and doctors up to date on both mother and babies vitals. Briana was checked and told she was about one centimeters dilated, but that was normal to happen this far along in the pregnancy. However, it didn't mean she was in active labor so they would likely send her home if nothing changed over the next hour. So, an hour later came as it was now 5:30 am with Harrison sitting at Briana's side, the two talking about names again. The nurse came in to check Briana's charts, readings, and dilation.

"Oh! Well, that's different," the nurse said as Harrison and Briana looked at her. "You're two centimeters now, and the readings show your contractions are still pretty far apart. Let me consult the doctor on this one," the woman stated as she removed her hand, then the glove before exiting the room. Harrison and Briana were confused but decided to just wait for answers. Ten minutes later, the doctor came in with a smile.

"So, you dilated a full centimeter within an hour but your contractions are spaced out still. What we're going to do is send you home for now and if the contractions get closer together, we want you to come back. Alright?" the doctor stated.

"What you're saying is that it's not false labor?" Harrison asked.

"Not at all, son. Quite common for first time mothers of twins to start having contractions early and dilating too. We just watch it for when it turns to active labor. Generally, active labor is when the mother reaches anywhere between four to seven centimeters. Also, her water hasn't broken, so she's just fine. Your fiancé could very well stay 2 cm until she gives birth in three weeks," the doctor informed.

"We'll keep a watch on it then," Briana smiled softly as the nurse started to unhook the machines and help Briana up and off the bed. However, that's when it happened. Briana's felt a gush of wet between her legs as she looked down and then to Harrison with worry.

"Bri, was that…what I think it was?" Harrison asked.

"Uh huh…M-My water broke," Briana confirmed.

"Well then, I guess you won't be going anywhere, Miss. Grayson," the doctor blinked, still a little shocked at the turn of events. After that, Briana was placed in a real room where she's give birth later on in the day likely and hooked back up to the monitors. By the time all this happened, it was 6:20 am when they were settled into the new room. Briana and Harrison had started talking about names, then she brought up the wedding, because with her in labor, there was no way it was happening now.

"Don't worry, babe. We'll have the babies, and push everything back a few weeks. I don't need all that fancy stuff, just you, me, few witnesses. I'm good," Harrison assured her. Just then, his cell phone started vibrating in his pocket. Harrison glanced at the screen to see that it was his father. Then Harrison remembered that he hadn't told anyone what was going on. "It's Dad," Harrison told her as he answered the call.

" _Harrison Haddock, where are you!?"_ Spencer demanded.

"Dad, calm down, okay? I have a good reason for not being there," Harrison sighed.

" _Start explaining because we're all at your house already. Answer the door,"_ Spencer ordered.

"Uh, that's gonna be a problem. See, we're not home," Harrison informed as it went quiet on the other end of the line. "Briana's in labor, we're at the hospital," he added.

" _SHE'S IN LABOR!?"_ they all shouted.

"Yes. Bri woke me up round 4 am, said she was in pain so we came to the hospital. She's two centimeters dilated now, and her water broke at 5:45 am. Wedding isn't happening today," Harrison stated.

" _We're on our way!"_ said Mia and Viviana together. Harrison hung up and shrugged to Briana, well, everyone knew now. After that, he started making calls to the places to halt things before too much was done.

 **[Seven Hours Later]**

It was now a little after noon, Briana was dilated to nine centimeters with one to go before she could start pushing. At six and a half centimeters, she got the epidural and took a two-hour nap while Harrison was sitting with the others in the waiting room. Sure, it wasn't the best situation but, hey, the babies didn't want to wait another three weeks in their eyes. When Briana woke up again, Harrison was back in the room with her. Mia and Vivian were two visitors who did not rotate out when the other guests did. Both mothers wanted to be present when the big moment happened. Briana was nauseated and tired; she wanted to sleep more but knew it was almost time to push so she was fighting through the fatigue.

The nurse came in to check Briana at 1 pm on the dot and smiled wide. "It's time!" she announced happily. Harrison and Briana took deep breaths, this was it.

"Harrison, I want to marry you," Briana told him.

"You will, babe. Couple weeks," Harrison told her while everyone was getting into position for the birth.

"N-No. Now. I-I won't have these babies unless we're married now," Briana told him firmly.

"Bri, bit of a tall order there. I can't just make that happen," Harrison said.

"We do have a preacher in the building, usually for those who are about to pass away and want to make final peace. I suppose we could get her up here for a bedside wedding, if you two are okay with that?" the nurse offered. Briana looked at Harrison pleadingly as he couldn't tell her no, this was supposed to be their wedding day after all. Harrison nodded to her.

"Mom, get everyone in here. Nate better have those rings on him," Harrison instructed his mother. Viviana rushed out to get everyone in the room for the quick ceremony, then they'd be booted out for the birth. After five minutes, everyone was in the room and staying as out of the way as they could. Thank the Gods, Nate had the rings in his pocket as the preacher woman walked in smiling.

"I hear we want to get married in here," she started.

"And as quick as you can because I don't think the twins want to wait," Briana panted.

"I think we can handle that. Harrison Haddock and Briana Grayson, right?" the woman asked as the two nodded quickly.

"Ladies first," Harrison smiled at his soon to be wife.

"Briana Grayson, do you take, Harrison Haddock to be your lawfully wedded husband to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, through sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer until death do you part?" the woman said gently.

"I-," Briana winced a little at the pain, panting hard as Harrison gave her his hand to hold. "I…Do," she finally got out with a smile.

"Harrison Haddock, do you take, Briana Grayson to be your lawfully wedded wife to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, through sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer until death do you part?" the preacher woman asked looking at Harrison who didn't take his eyes off Briana.

"I Do," Harrison replied. Nate handed the woman the rings as she gave the respected on to the person who would place it.

"I understand you wrote your own ring exchange vows?" the woman asked softly. Harrison nodded as the two positioned their hands to exchange rings. "Go on then," she smiled.

"As this ring has no end, neither shall my love for you," Briana managed as she placed the band on Harrison's finger.

"As this ring has no end, neither shall my love for you," Harrison repeated placing the ring on Briana's finger now.

"By the power vested in my by the State of Arc Isle, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride," the woman said. Harrison leaned over the bed a little and cupped Briana's cheek as he kissed her deeply.

"Alright, everyone out. Mr. And Mrs. Haddock, I believe it's time we welcome two new members to your family," the doctor smiled.

"Let's do it," Briana and Harrison said together. Everyone filed out, still shocked that Harrison and Briana got married right then and there, now they were having the twins. All any of them could do was wait for the announcement.

 **[Forty-Five Minutes Later]**

Finally, they were allowed back in the room. Filing in slow, everyone was able to see two babies present. One was in Harrison's right arm while the other was in Briana's left as the two were sitting up in the bed together.

"Everyone, we'd have two people we'd like you to meet. Colden and Cayden Haddock." Harrison informed with a soft smile.

"Or for short, Cole and Cade," Briana giggled a bit as everyone just stared in shock, amazement, joy. There were so many emotions to feel as they stood there looking at Harrison and Briana hold their twins, who had just been born after Harrison and Briana decided to get hitched right before. Well, how odd was it? Harrison and Briana were supposed to get married today anyway, who cares if it didn't happen the way it had been set to. All any of them could agree on was that this was a pleasantly unplanned day, but went perfectly.


	46. Started It All

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; Harrison X Briana_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! In addition, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character Ella (Eira) Solveig. She belongs to a good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

46) Started It All

 _{Harrison's POV}_

 **[Berkville Memorial Hospital-8:35 pm; 10/7/2017]**

I was a happy man; not only did I get married today, but I got to meet mine and Briana's twin sons! Yep, that's right. Briana went into labor this morning and now, we have Colden and Cayden, our children. God, I couldn't believe how today went, not totally according to plan, but it worked out and I was proud to call myself a father and husband. Right now, everyone was in the room after Briana gave birth to the boys. I was sitting next to her in the hospital bed, I was holding Cayden while Briana had Colden in her arms. We'd already fed them both and now they were sleeping peacefully. I kissed the side of Briana's head, nothing made this moment better; sitting next to my new wife with sons. The day, rather night now, couldn't be better. I glanced at my family and friends, somehow we all squeezed ourselves into the one hospital room, well, most of us. Some had to go home as the hours passed, but wanted updates as labor progressed.

After everyone had entered the room, I could only smile while holding one of my sons as they all looked in amazement, anxiousness, and more to meet the newest additions to the Haddock family. I know they were all waiting to hear the announcement of names; Briana and I had decided on them earlier that morning before my Dad called to ask why I wasn't at his house yet.

"Everyone, I have two people I'd for you to meet. Colden and Cayden Haddock," I introduced softly to mine and Briana's families, then Trevor, Skye, Dexter, Hailey, Regina, Frankie, Syrus, TJ, and Addilyn.

"Which baby is who?" Hailey asked curiously.

"Well, Harrison is holding Cayden and I have Colden," Briana said gently, I could tell she was exhausted to. Up since 3 am, gave birth about fifteen minutes ago. I already told her we'd let everyone visit for a few minutes then I would stay up a bit so she could get some sleep and then I would join her for the next feeding around 11:30 pm or midnight. We would change the twins, and then likely get some sleep ourselves.

"I still find it amazing how all this happened. How did it start again?" Addilyn wondered.

"Well, Bri woke up around 3 am in pain, tried to ignore it until 3:45 when she yelled for me. After she told me she was in pain and would feel better if we went to the hospital, we came here. At that point, she was one centimeter dilated. For an hour, they just watched her. Just as we were going to get sent home, her water broke while she was two centimeters. After that, we got put in this room and Dad called me to ask where I was, you know the rest from there," I explained.

"And she did beautifully for twins. Took fifteen minutes to get Colden out, then another seven for Cayden. After both were cleaned off, weighed, and fed, Harrison said you could all come in to see them," Viviana said lightly.

"I can't get over the wedding before she gave birth," Regina giggled now.

"Well, I didn't want to start this family as the only one not being a Haddock and today was supposed to be our wedding day anyway, I saw no reason to change that," Briana shrugged.

"And we'll have the rest of it after you heal and we get back home, then adjust with the boys," I told her with a smile before kissing her lightly.

"Totally agree," Briana nodded.

"Well, I think that perhaps we should all move out and give the newly wedded parents some time with their family," Dexter suggested.

"I second that idea," Trevor replied. "Congrats to both of you, on the marriage and birth. We'll come see you tomorrow, just text us when it's okay," he added.

"Will do, Trev. Oh, can I ask a favor?" I stated while Briana adjusted Colden into her right arm and I put Cayden in my left.

"Sure thing, what do you need?" asked Syrus.

"Will one of you take a family photo; send it around to the rest of the group, Glenn, and Aaron too. Let them know the Colden was born first at 6lbs 5oz with a length of 19 ½ inches at 1:26 pm. And Cayden was born seven minutes later at 1:33 pm weighing in at 6lbs 3oz and a length of 19 inches exactly," I stated. Trevor got his phone out and took a picture of Briana, me and the twins while preparing the message with the information I gave him. Also labeling which baby was which.

"All set. I sent it to Liv, Chels, Andy, Hagebak, and Belmore," Trevor reported.

"Thanks, man," I smiled as Briana nodded and I got off the bed and placed Cayden in the small bedside crib, then I took Colden from Bri and set him down in the other provided bed. "You get some sleep," I told her.

"Are you sure you can handle them both?" Briana asked nervously.

"He won't be alone, Mrs. Haddock, I assure you. We're going to take them for a few hours anyway to do some tests. Nothing to be concerned about, it's all standard and give the new parents some time to rest," the nurse informed while she came in.

"See, it's all fine, babe. Get some rest, I'll be right here next to you in the chair that reclines," I chuckled a bit. Briana nodded as everyone said their goodbyes and got their quick shots of the twins together, then they left. I kissed Briana deeply, then laid down in the chair and set it back to rest. The nurse and another one came in to take the babies, after that, I was knocked out being utterly exhausted.

 _{Normal POV}_

 **[10/27/2017-Harrison & Briana's Place-5:40 pm]**

Briana and Harrison got to bring their babies home after three days in the hospital. The doctors just wanted to make sure the twins were alright to leave, but warned to try and keep them out of public for two or so weeks because they'd be more susceptible to getting sick since they were born a few weeks early. In addition to that piece of information, Briana and Harrison were given tips on life at home with two babies; the best bet was to get them on a schedule. Of course, the two new parents figured that one out on their own. It was now three weeks later and the two of them were finally getting the hang of it. The day started at 5:00 am with Harrison up first to change the twin's diapers, put them in their clothes for the day, and then prepare the bottles for Colden and Cayden to feed. By this point, Briana was awake and took one of the twins to feed while Harrison did the other one.

At 5:45 am, Harrison would leave for work to do his shift of 6 am to 2 pm, and then he'd be home to help his wife with the twins. For Briana's side of things after Harrison left, usually, both children would go back to sleep for a few hours, then wake up to be changed and fed again for 8:30-9am. Typically, someone would be over to help her out for the feedings. The last feeding of the night would be at 1 am, Harrison learned a trick to add infant cereal to the bottles and that pushed the babies until 4:30-5 am where the routine would begin again. Yep, the two finally got it down and now, things were working out perfectly. Tonight was a get together; everyone was coming over for the 'end of wedding' festivities. Harrison and Briana had their cake on the dining room table, and the dish for the evening was stuffed chicken breast with mashed potatoes, gravy, and corn. Of course, there were snack-like foods too. It was informal for what was to be a wedding reception, but simple.

"Briana, you look stunning for just having twins," Olivia giggled as Briana came down the stairs wearing a knee-length lavender dress. Briana lost all her baby weight by weeks two and she looked fantastic.

"Thank you," Briana smiled as Harrison offered his hand to help her down the last few, he whirled her around once and kissed her lovingly.

"Kids down?" Harrison asked softly.

"Changed, fed, and sleeping. They should be out until 8 or 9 pm," Briana nodded. "Flip the cams on?" Harrison grabbed the remote off the table and flipped the side screen on; it showed the twin's room on a split screen, each labeled for one of the babies.

"So that's what the little screens are," Frankie said with a smile.

"Yep. Harrison hooked it up, there is a screen in here, living room, and our room. It can also be rerouted to the main TV too," Briana smiled.

"Nice job," Spencer nodded. "So, how about that first dance?" he added with a smile.

"Oh, I suppose," Harrison chuckled as he moved to the TV stand and docked his phone and found the song for Briana and him to dance to, it had been changed from the original pick. The room stayed quiet as Harrison and Briana started dancing to their wedding song; This I Swear by Nick Lachey. After that, Briana danced with her father, then Harrison did the same with his mother afterward. Nate and Skye gave their speeches for the happy couple, cake was enjoyed after dinner. All in all, it was a great night and the twins woke up towards the end so everyone could see them again. Sure, it wasn't the planned reception they had a few weeks ago, but it didn't matter. Harrison and Briana were married, and surrounded by their closest friends and family. Nothing made it better.

 **[8:15 pm]**

At the moment, everyone was sitting around the living room and chatting it up about how life was going. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Harrison moved towards it and turned the knob to reveal Colonel Dawson there. Harrison's eyes widened a little, even Aaron and Glenn were up instantly.

"Col-Colonel Dawson?" Harrison asked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Bit of a… _situation_ and we need you," Cody informed.

"Oh, no you don't. I specifically stated after the last trip that I'm not taking anymore more missions until the twins are at least six months old," Harrison remarked. "I have a wife and two children to think about now,"

"Colonel Dawson. What is going on with all this? We've gotten no updates and Harrison is one of our company's soldiers," Aaron asked quickly.

"I'm sorry, Major Hagebak and you too, Lieutenant Belmore, but for all intensive purposes, Staff Sergeant Haddock is off Sky Striker Company right now and reports directly to me. As such, I do not have to tell you anything, and you're not authorized to know the information regardless," Cody informed then turned back to Harrison.

"Why only him?! You keep calling him away at random, and he's gone for weeks or months at a time and can't say a word to us. Now, I demand some kind of answers about all this," Briana stated quickly, but firmly.

Cody sighed heavily. "And I cannot tell you much either. My deepest apologies, Mrs. Haddock, but until we're cleared to talk, it had to be this way. All I can give you is that Harrison is helping out in a-," the man began as Harrison rolled his eyes.

"Helping out? Is that what we're calling me risking my ass now?" Harrison stated. "Bri, let it go, babe. Alright? I can't tell you what I'm doing or where I go, but I'll give you this; I'm a special ops soldier. Okay? That's what you all asked me the day of the gender reveal, and now I'm telling you. Yes, I'm an SOS and I get sent on long, dangerous missions at random, but that's all I can give you. Please take that information and leave it alone. As soon as this all settled, I'll be able to tell you what's been going on," he sighed heavily.

"Can you say how much longer?" Viviana wondered.

"There's no set amount unfortunately. It all gets determined on how my missions go each time, lately, not so good," Harrison shrugged. "And you," he added looking to Cody. "You're not supposed to be making house calls to discuss mission related topics. Now look, my wife gave birth three weeks ago to twins. On top of that birth, we ended up getting married same day. Tonight is the reception, though a bit late, regardless. I'm not going out for missions tonight and I'm not taking anymore until my kids reach six months old. I have already run this by HQ, unless you prefer that I give the general a call?"

"You couldn't possibly have General Robinson's number," Cody said, a bit stunned now.

"Oh, I think you'll find that I do, Colonel. See, as you put it to Hagebak and Belmore; for all intensive purposes, I work for headquarters as an SOS and just base out of Fort Fury. If you will recall, the General assigned me this operation and I call most of the shots on how it goes. Right now, I say that I'm not going until my kids get a bit older. I take orders from you because they come from him, but I can call him to have that confirmed if you like?" Harrison asked. "I hope you didn't assume I wouldn't know the chain of command. General Robinson is a busy guy, so he sends his orders to me through you. However, I can contact him if need be,"

"That…won't be necessary, Sergeant Haddock. Let us know when you're ready and I'm sorry for disturbing you. Have a good night," Cody said as exited the apartment and Harrison closed the door.

"What the hell, Harrison," Syrus mentioned.

"You're a Staff Sergeant?" Olivia blinked. Harrison nodded once.

"You have General Robinson's office number?" Glenn asked.

"Nah," Harrison smiled. "I have his cell," he added as they all stared at him while he shrugged. "Don't ask questions, I've already told you all I can. It's late, time to call it night," Not arguing with him, they all began to get ready and leave the apartment. When it was cleared out, Harrison and Briana got their boys ready for bed and laid them down. Harrison and Briana reached their room after making sure the duplex was locked up tight, the two smiled and shared a kiss before decided to make love for an hour, then they went to sleep curled up in one another's eyes. They weren't sure what else life held for them, but tonight seemed to start it all.


	47. Finishing This Mission

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; Harrison X Briana_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! In addition, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character Ella (Eira) Solveig. She belongs to a good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

47) Finishing This Mission

 _{Normal POV}_

 **[Two Years Later; 10/6/2019]**

So much time had passed since that day where Harrison and Briana got to finish their wedding and enjoy being with family and friends too. It was something that none of them ever forgot; every year, Harrison and Briana celebrated their son's birthdays and their wedding anniversaries together. Last year, it was the party for the twins Cayden and Colden and then the babies would be babysat by someone while Harrison and Briana enjoyed a date night for the anniversary of their wedding, after which, they'd come home when the kids were sleeping and make love before going to sleep themselves. Harrison still worked for Berkys, four days a week and only eight to nine-hour days. Harrison admitted to Calvin that while he loved working there and being assistant manager, he wanted more time with his wife and sons since he was still dealing with the military operations that were top-secret. Yes, even two years later, Harrison had not been able to tell them anything about what he was doing or where he went, but it happened to be that Harrison was going for a week at time every two months.

Harrison was tired of these missions and for the life of him, he couldn't figure out why they needed him to do it. For Odin's sake, it was just recon missions to figure out what Red Death was. The only intel they'd gathered was that it's a weapon of mass destruction and the creator of it had the power to make dragons do what he said. Harrison didn't like it anymore than his family and friends did, but what could he do. This was a major situation and apparently, military headquarters believed Harrison was the man for the job since this target worked with dragons and Harrison's dragon, Toothless, was good at making them listen to him. Something about evening out the playing field with two people who have the same ability. Harrison thought it was bullshit, but hey, it kept him busy and he knew he was keeping his family, friends, and home safe from danger.

Today was the day before the twins turned two, also Briana and Harrison would be celebrating their two years of marriage. As usual, everyone was coming over and later tonight, the twins would be staying with the Haddock family since Briana's family had them the year before. It was a fair trade off, besides, the families switched every other weekend to give the parents a break and get time with their grandbabies. Colden and Cayden were off bottles and pacifiers, they could use a spill proof cup, and were in the process of moving to toddler beds. In addition, the twins were also in the next stage of their car seats too and could feed themselves, to a degree. Both babies were walking with no trouble at all by fourteen months old and were able to talk a little. Colden and Cayden had just begun to put two words together such as _car go_ and _juice please_. Little things that Briana and Harrison taught them. Other words were the standard Mama, Dada, Gam and Gamp for Briana's parents, then Nana and Papa for Harrison's folks. Jaz and Awex were for Jasmine and Alex, then Nate for Nathaniel.

Cayden and Colden could somewhat manage the dragon's names. Toof for Toothless and Nysar for Nightstar. And Stormsky was called Ormky. Yes, the twins were doing quite well with their words. Among other joyful things, Regina and Frankie had been together for three years, now engaged to be married in the summer of 2020. Another shocking relationship to form was Hailey and Trevor. Yes, Dexter's little sister was dating Trevor and they had been together for a year having gotten together July 2018. Also, there was Andy and Addilyn too, they got together Christmas Eve of 2017 and going on two years in two months. It was amazing to see everyone settling down and being happy. Syrus, Dexter, and TJ were still single but didn't mind it, however, Harrison had a sneaking suspicion that Skye and Dexter were getting closer. Oh, Emily and Nate were both taking Dragon Training together with Luna and Streamwing as they were finally sixteen years old. **(A/N: I feel like I made an error somewhere in other chapters where I said that Streamwing hadn't bonded to anyone, but I just remembered that Streamwing bonded to Nate and Stormsky was the dragon NOT bonded and still with his parents, Toothless and Nightstar. So, just to clarify that if anyone got confused about the sudden switch because I was not paying attention, sorry! –NS)**

Life was great, Harrison and Briana loved how things turned out for them ever since they got together when they met in Kuwait back in 2015. Today would be just once more happy day to celebrate all they had together. Everyone was over; The Haddocks, the Graysons, Addy, Andy, Regina, Frankie, TJ, Olivia, Chelsea, Aaron, Glenn, Syrus, Skye, Dexter, Trevor, and Hailey. Harrison and Briana took care of the food and cake, they just told everyone to show up around 2 pm and be ready to have a good time. That time was now, everyone was arriving; today would be a good day for everyone.

 **[A Few Hours Later]**

With the time now being 5:15 pm, they were all sitting down to dinner when Harrison's cell phone rang. The party had been calm and entertaining as always, they did presents around 3:30 pm so the boys could play before supper time, the rest of that was spent snacking and talking about their lives. At 4:30 pm, Emily came over because Harrison told Nate he could invite her and Harrison shocked to find out that his brother had not asked Emily out yet, he thought for sure the two be dating by now, but perhaps both were focused on their studies so that was fine too.

"Who could that be?" Addilyn wondered. Harrison checked the caller's name and saw it 'General Robinson.' Harrison already had a bad feeling as to why he'd be calling out of the blue.

"General Robinson, to what do I owe the pleasure of this call?" Harrison answered it calmly as everyone tensed nervously. Harrison blinked a few times then went to the door and opened it to see the man he was on the phone with standing in the doorway. "Okay, to what do I owe the unexpected visit? And please, come inside. It's chilly tonight, sir," he added respectfully. Marcus walked in and Harrison shut the door before he stood in front of him again.

"It's time, Sergeant Haddock," Marcus informed.

Harrison seemed to sigh heavily. "Alright. When do I leave?"

"As soon as you're able," Marcus stated.

"Give me a week to get things in order and pack, then I'll go on Toothless," Harrison replied.

"Good man. I hope you know how much we appreciate all you have done for in us the last three years regarding this operation, Sergeant Haddock. I'm sure I don't need to brief you since you have company over, but everything is in here. Location, terrain, weather for the last month, weapons, everything you'll need to carry this out," Marcus told him firmly.

"I'm just doing my job, General. I'll read it over later, tonight is my boy's birthdays, also mine and Briana's two year wedding anniversary," Harrison enlightened.

"Understood. Is there anything we can provide for you?" Marcus asked.

"Will you allow me to tell them?" Harrison asked calmly.

"Only what you must, but not everything. The basics," Marcus nodded.

"Confirmed, sir. I will contact you when I'm prepared to go," Harrison responded as the two men saluted one another and the general left.

"Another mission?" Nate asked curiously as Harrison nodded to him. "How long this time? Your last one was two months," the sixteen-year-old frowned.

"When is this going to be over, Harry? The boys are growing up fast and I feel like you've missed most of the first two years," Briana looked down.

"I know, I don't like it anymore than you, Milady. However, there is…a bit of good news for this trip," Harrison tried as everyone looked at him. "One, I can tell you the basics of what this has all been about. And two, this is the last mission, IF everything goes according to plan,"

"Wait, you can finally tell us?" they shouted in shock.

"I can tell you _SOME_ , but not everything. Not yet," Harrison stated in a more clear tone so they would understand. They did not say anything, only nodded and waited for him to start. Harrison took a deep breath now. "For those of you who were on that first tour in Kuwait, how many remember when Toothless made all those dragons stop on the second day we were there?"

"All of us do. It's the day you got hit with the Nadder spine," Trevor stated calmly.

"Dunbar told me that there is a guy hiding in the shadows who has a way of controlling the dragons, and after what Toothless and I did, it was decided that the playing field so to speak, was even. So, when I was in Kuwait, and the US, I was undergoing special ops training. Then in May 2016, I was sent to Afghanistan to start tracking this guy down and it was anything but easy. Every time we found him, by next recon, he was gone. Over the last three years, we've finally pinned him as his main base and it's my job to go capture him and free the dragons he has trapped there," Harrison explained.

"And this guy, is it someone we know?" Dexter wondered.

"That's information I can't give you. This guy is seven kinds of crazy and he's the target I've been after for years now. There's one other reason we want him, he has this…weapon of mass destruction called Red Death and it's been part of my job to figure out what it is and what it does. So far, no luck with that as I have been able to get close enough. After I get this guy, we're gonna figure out the rest," Harrison stated.

"Hang on. You…keep saying you are gonna do this. You mean…with a team you're leading, right?" Briana asked. Harrison stayed quiet now. "Harrison,"

"No, I mean just me and Toothless," Harrison finally said as they were silent.

"You said you had teams!" Viviana reminded.

"I _DID_ have teams," Harrison reiterated while leaning against the wall, looking out the window with his arms over his chest. "In the start, I worked with teams of twelve including me. Returning from missions, I was the only one to escape alive. Wounded, but alive nevertheless,"

"Harrison, what happ-," Aaron started to say.

"I don't want to talk about it, Major. First few missions didn't go so great, got captured and tortured once or twice. The rest of the team was killed in action and I'm the one who escaped. That's all you need to know," Harrison remarked. "I've been running the missions with Toothless, alone, since the night I left Nate's party," he added.

"Harrison Haddock, this is way too dangerous. I don't want you going!" Briana pleaded.

"I'm sorry, Bri, but I have to. This is the mission I was tasked with and I'm going to finish it no matter what," Harrison said firmly. "Now, can we drop this and just go back to having the party, please?" he asked.

"Why does it have to be you?" Nate asked sadly.

"I don't know, but it is me so I can't let everyone down. I'll be okay, don't worry," Harrison smiled as he ruffled Nate's hair. "This is what brothers are for, remember? And in this case, it's what soldiers are for. We all have a role to play in the safety of our homes and this role is mine,"

"Well, we don't like it. However, we're your friends and since we can't be there to help you out, then we send you with our support," Syrus informed with a smile and nod. Olivia and Chelsea did the same followed by Trevor, Dexter, Aaron, and Glenn.

"Us too," Regina added in with a nod from Frankie, TJ and Addilyn.

"Same here," Andy and Skye smile.

"Just come home safe," Viviana told him with an agreeing nod from Spencer, then the Graysons did the same and Nate hugged Harrison tightly.

"I'll always come home, this is where I belong," Harrison said as he kissed Briana deeply, then hugged her. "I promise I'll be okay and as fast as I can," he told her. Briana nodded as they relaxed a little and the party continued.

 **[A Week Later; Syria]**

Harrison reached his location on time made quick work on infiltrating the base. However, something wasn't right. It was far too quiet to be a secret base, at least opposed to all the other times he'd been tracking this guy. Harrison made his way through the base until he reached what appeared to be a large meeting room and it was unguarded. Harrison kept his gun at the ready while making his way to the table, he saw a bunch of maps, locations circled on them, and then something on the bottom titled; Operation Red Death. Harrison quickly moved the other sheets of paper and scanned over the large document, his eyes widened as he discovered what 'Red Death' is. It wasn't a weapon at all, it was a huge dragon that the smaller dragons listened to! Harrison checked the maps, the first location it was headed to was…

Arc Isle.

Harrison wasted no time, he grabbed the documents and stuffed them into Toothless's saddlebag before mounting his dragon and the two took to the sky at top speed for their island. Not only was his family and friends there, the who island was in danger if that thing reached land before he did. Harrison grabbed his radio and quickly called in to the military base he stayed at for all these missions, well, at least the ones he did that took place in Syria.

"Alpha Fury to Command One. Code Red, level ten. Red Death IS NOT a weapon, it's a massive dragon. It's headed for Arc Isle along with the target. I'm on my way there now, warn them!" Harrison said quickly. There wasn't time to explain this, and they all knew if Harrison was calling in something that rushed, then it was nothing to mess around with and question. Harrison's mission was to find out information about Red Death, and capture his target. One thing was for sure, this guy made it personal and Harrison wasn't going to let that slide. This guy was putting Harrison's home in danger and Harrison was putting an end to it by finishing this mission.


	48. Shock & Fear

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; Harrison X Briana_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! In addition, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character Ella (Eira) Solveig. She belongs to a good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

48) Shock & Fear

All Harrison wanted to do was get home and do whatever he could to stop this Red Death, then capture his target. A man by the name of Dominic Bludvist, who put all this into motion. Everything from the start had been a trick, this guy wasn't helping enemies by lending them dragon support. Dominic used that as a ploy, to start getting others sent towards him to discover the reason for the mass amounts of dragons. Everything else was making it seem like there was a big weapon of destruction being constructed. The truth was the that Red Death was a massive dragon that could destroy whatever it wanted. No one on Arc Isle was safe, and neither were the dragons. Harrison was racing back as fast as Toothless could take them there without getting too tired. The entire flight he was dealing with radio calls and trying to explain his findings, yet, he did not even know if the residents of Arc Isle were warned about this incoming threat or if Red Death and Dominic already arrived and were killing innocent lives.

Reaching Arc Isle, Harrison looked for any sign of Red Death or Dominic. From the sky, Harrison could just about see everything and he spotted where this dragon was. Closest to Berkville, his hometown. Harrison urged Toothless forward as they zoomed home with a whistle sound behind them. Twenty minutes later, he saw everything that was going on and decided to take action instead of wait for orders.

"Alright, Toothless. Let's do this!" Harrison told his friend, receiving a growl of agreement. The two headed right for the large dragon and Toothless prepared a blast as the two sped up in a dive bomb. "NOW!" Harrison called. Toothless fired a blast at the Red Death's wing, effectively knocking it over and then the two of them sped out of sight. On the ground, those who had basically been cornered, were shocked at what happened.

"What…was that?" Addilyn asked.

"I don't know and I don't care, but it got that thing down instead of after us," Frankie said trying to stay calm.

"Spencer, what do we do. This thing is only attacking Berkville, do something!" Viviana demanded her husband. Berkville was not a big town, in fact, it had maybe two hundred and fifty residents. At the moment, all of them were closest to the beach, trying to hide out and stay safe. Suddenly, Harrison hovered over them and landed while getting off Toothless. "Harrison! Thank Odin you're here," she cried.

"What are you doing here?" Glenn asked quickly.

"Get this people off the beach, Dad. Red Death isn't a weapon, it's a dragon and that thing is it. It's my job to take Red Death down, Toothless and I are the only ones fast enough to keep up with it. In addition, that thing can take control of your dragons. Toothless seems to be immune to it, this is what I'm tasked with doing now. Keeping the island safe," Harrison informed.

"You can't take that on by yourself!" Briana said quickly.

"Don't have time to debate this, babe!" Harrison called to her as he got on Toothless's back then shot into the sky as Red Death was recovering; it stood and spread its wings.

"Well, you all heard him. Everyone off the beach," Aaron demanded along with other police officers and soldiers. Harrison was in the sky with Toothless, taking on Red Death by leading it into the sky so it couldn't destroy anything on land. Harrison and Toothless led it around the water, through the maze of sea stacks, and higher up before they starting firing blast and any angles to the enormous dragon's wings and it was too big to keep up with them. Finally, the dragon landed in the water, turning it's head as a man walked out when Toothless landed on a rock, staying ready to fight in case of surprise attacks.

"Fight!" the man demanded the dragon and it refused almost. There was a mass of dragon flying around, the ones belonging to the residents of Arc Isle.

"Give it up, Dominic. Your dragon doesn't want to fight anymore," Harrison yelled to the figure standing on the beach. The man, Dominic whipped the large dragon as it roared out and was ready once more. "Well, that could have gone better. Ready, Toothless? It's time to end this," Harrison patted his neck. Red Death lifted up as Toothless and Harrison charged after it.

"He's going to kill himself," Briana whimpered.

"No, he won't, lass. Just hold faith, Harrison can handle this," Aaron said gently. Harrison and Toothless got ahead of Red Death and pulled it away from being near town.

"Alright, Toothless," Harrison told him as Toothless nodded, understanding what needed to happen. "We can't have that thing on the loose," he added. Toothless shot past Red Death as it tried to snap at them, then chased them straight down towards the water. "Hold, Toothless, almost there," Harrison told him. Just as they were nearing the ocean, Red Death formed a cloud of gas in its mouth prepared to fire at Harrison and Toothless. "NOW!" Harrison yelled. Toothless whipped around and fired a large purple blast into the Red Death's mouth, watching the gas catch and light the large dragon on fire, burning it from the inside out while it plummeted towards the sea. Harrison and Toothless flew past its mouth and up the back as it was burning up. Towards the end, they hadn't been expecting a clubbed tail and the two hit fully force. Harrison fell off Toothless and both of them landing in the sea.

"HARRISON!" Briana screamed with worry. Red Death hit the shallows and exploded, everyone watched the water for a sign of Toothless or Harrison. Finally, emerging from the smoke, Toothless flew over towards the worried group and placed Harrison on the ground, he was unconscious too. "Harrison?" Briana asked slow. Before anyone could reach him, Dominic cut them off and had them surrounded by the people who worked for him, all of which had guns. After a moment or two, Harrison began to awaken slow, coughing a few times and sitting up.

"Too-Toothless?" Harrison asked, his dragon came beside him and licked Harrison's cheeks a few times. "You saved my life. Thank you," he smiled a bit.

"I give you props, boy. I didn't think anyone would be able to defeat Red Death. Bravo on you for doing so. You killed my weapon and saved all the dragons that Red Death had under its control. So tell me, how do you intended on saving all of them?" stated Dominic, Harrison pulled his gun as Dominic chuckled. "I wouldn't, kid. One wrong move and I'll have my people fire," Dominic said coldly, but with a grin as Harrison saw his family, friends, and residents of his hometown were all seemingly locked together in a massive group in the field closest to the beach. Harrison saw all their worried faces, and what was worse was this was on him. If he did anything to upset Dominic, everyone was dead.

Harrison glared, but then he closed his eyes and tossed his gun to the side. "What do you want?" he asked.

"Power over the dragons and it seems your Night Fury has that ability. I saw it happen in Kuwait a few years back. Impressive. So, let's make a deal shall we? You give me your dragon and I'll set all these people free," Dominic told him.

"Toothless will never listen to you," Harrison retorted.

"If he betrays me or doesn't follow orders, I'll come back and kill everyone then. You have the power to make him do ask he's told, tell him to listen," Dominic stated.

"Toothless is my bonded dragon, he will never listen to anyone but me. However, I have a better proposition for you," Harrison stated. His family and friends might hate him for this, but it was the only way. "Let the residents of Berkville go and I'll give you Toothless…and me,"

"Harrison, no!" Aaron said quickly.

"Sorry boss, every soldier knows the ultimate price he or she must pay for the safety of their loved ones and home. If this is the only way to ensure that for all of you, then my time to pay has come," Harrison stated firmly as everyone bit back. "Do we have a deal?"

"Done. Release the residents," Dominic ordered. "Get to the plane," After that, his men began walking and leaving the area. "You're a brave boy indeed. Giving up your freedom for theirs?"

"Whatever it takes for them to be safe," Harrison muttered.

"Grab your dragon and lets go," Dominic demanded firmly. Harrison scowled as he faced everyone and gave a soft smile as if to tell them that it would be alright. Harrison started walking with Toothless, then gave a hand signal as Toothless roared out, taking on the blue glow as the other dragons took their place in front of the residents. Dominic turned around quickly to see what was going on, and then he glared at Harrison.

"You double crossed me!" Dominic yelled.

"Yeah, you see. The funny thing about making a deal is that it is only honored when both people shake on it. Also, one more thing; you threaten my home, you threaten me and I don't let anyone get away with that," Harrison brought his fist back and punched Dominic in the face, making the man stumble back in shock. "How stupid do you think I am to let you take me and my dragon? We both know you were going to kill me, then force Toothless to do as you tell him! I mad the deal so you'd drop your guard and now these dragons will protect everyone from your men,"

Dominic didn't seem to like it one bit, he got up and tackled Harrison to the ground. The two rolled around, fighting one another. However, no one interfered, they couldn't. If one person tried to take a shot, they might accidentally hit Harrison, which wouldn't be good for anyone. The fight went on about fifteen minutes, both fighters taking equal hits from one another. Finally, Harrison got thrown to the ground as he coughed a few times before Harrison and Dominic pulled their guns on one another.

"Give it up, boy. You can't win this one," Dominic said.

"Enough, Dominic. It's over," Harrison said. "Go down with some dignity or pride, whatever you want to call it," he added.

"I don't believe it is," Dominic smirked as he pulled a grenade from his pocket, then pulled the pin. Harrison froze a bit, but never faltered. "You will never take me alive," the man grinned as he shot Harrison in the leg twice, forcing Harrison yell out in pain and fall to the ground.

"Harrison!" his group of family and friends said in fear.

"This is the end for you!" Dominic laughed as he released the grenade to the ground and tried to run.

"Get out of range!" Harrison yelled to everyone as he grabbed his gun and shot Dominic in the back of the head while the others were running. Toothless was about to go after his friend, but suddenly, the grenade went off just as everyone got out of blast range. Everyone knew Dominic was dead, but Harrison had been alive and severely wounded; he couldn't get away when the grenade exploded. The area was silent after the initial explosion wore down leaving only smoke now, everyone was filled with shock and fear; praying to the Gods that Harrison survived somehow.


	49. Wait It Out

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; Harrison X Briana_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! In addition, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character Ella (Eira) Solveig. She belongs to a good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

49) Wait It Out

The area was as silent as a graveyard and everyone stood in disbelief at what transpired moments ago. All of Berkville saw it; Harrison raced in on Toothless and defeated Red Death, then took this Dominic character by himself after double-crossing him. Harrison had been willing to give up his freedom to save the residents of his hometown, and then Harrison fought Dominic. The battle waged for nearly thirty minutes, just hand-to-hand combat, and then it was halted with both men keeping a gun on the other one. For a brief moment, everyone was sure that Harrison had Dominic cornered. However, that changed when Dominic grabbed a grenade and yanked the pin out; if that wasn't bad enough, Dominic shot Harrison twice in the left leg. One hit the upper thigh, and the other one struck Harrison's shin, Harrison hit the ground hard and in pain. Harrison told everyone to get out of range, yet, they never saw him make an escape when the explosion occurred.

The force of the grenade going off had everyone on the ground to cover them from any debris. When the initial blast was over, there was nothing but thick smoke clouding the area and no one could see Dominic or Harrison's figure through. For a fact, they all knew Dominic was dead, they saw Harrison shoot him and land right next to the grenade when it went off. However, they didn't know if Harrison far enough away to survive the explosion. Briana was in tears, scared to death that her husband was dead. Toothless roared out, and no response came from the other side. Toothless growled lowly as he motioned to Hookfang and Wildfire to do something. Both dragons lifted into the air and gave a powerful beat of their wings to blow the smoke away.

"Soldiers! Spread out and search for Haddock! NOW!" Aaron demanded. There was no time to waist, Harrison had been shot twice before the explosion and if he was alive by some grace of God, then he wouldn't be much longer. In a heartbeat Trevor, Syrus, Dexter, Olivia, Andy, Skye, and Chelsea rushed down to help search for Harrison with Glenn and Aaron in tow too.

"I need to help them!" Briana whimpered.

"No, dear. You need to stay up here with the boys and comfort them," Mia instructed her daughter, Viviana tried to help as well. After fifteen minutes, Dexter and Syrus waved their hands to signal that they found something.

"Found the Dominic guy!" Syrus yelled.

"Definitely dead. Harrison shot him in the back of the head," Dexter confirmed. "Harrison wasn't far from Dominic when the shot happened. He's gotta be around here," he whispered. Another ten minutes passed as Toothless jumped down and started sniffing around the debris before he moved some of it out of the way and there laid Harrison's still figure, severely wounded too.

"Toothless found him!" Trevor announced. Briana held her breath, so did hers and Harrison's family, their friends also. "Alright, careful now," he eased down and checked Harrison for signs of life and was relieved to feel a pulse. "I got one, but its weak and he definitely unconscious. I can't survey how bad the damage is, I'm afraid to move him,"

"No need. Emergency services are on their way, he'll go straight to the hospital and hopefully, we'll know more after that," Aaron informed. Harrison looked to be in bad shape, there were minor injuries that they could see right away. Split lip, cuts, bruising starting. What worried them was the two gunshots to the left leg and anything else they could not see right now.

"I-Is he going to be okay?" Chelsea asked softly.

"I don't know, he's barely clinging to life," Glenn mentioned while doing his best to hold pressure on Harrison's leg. After what seemed like forever, an ambulance pulled up and three paramedics rushed over as the soldiers stepped back to let them work.

"Unconscious, lost a lot of blood, weak pulse. We don't have much time," said one of them as Harrison was carefully lifted onto the stretcher, "Careful of his leg," the man warned. Soon, Harrison was in the back of ambulance and it was gone about five minutes later.

"What happened?" Spencer demanded quickly.

"They're taking him to Berkville Memorial, we'll know more there after Harrison gets out of surgery; and that's if he survives. I can't lie to you, Mr. Haddock. Harrison might not make it, we don't know anything until we get there so I suggest we don't waste time," Aaron informed. Sadly, no one could argue. Harrison was alive, and by Odin, they hoped it stayed that way. The two families and friends quickly dispersed and reached their mode of transport to go to the hospital.

 **[Hospital; Three & A Half Hours Later]**

The Haddocks, Graysons, and friends were all at the hospital in the waiting area, most of which were nervously pacing around for some kind of update. Spencer just arrived after leaving his second in command in charge as he had his son to worry about. Aaron already called into HQ and reported what happened; he was given strict instructions to let them know about Harrison's condition when the doctor let them know. The nurses station confirmed that Harrison arrived ten minutes before they did and that Harrison was taken right into surgery but they knew nothing else as they also had not been updated since then. Viviana was crying quietly as Nate tried to comfort her, Spencer was pacing with Glenn and Aaron. Briana was being soothed by anyone who wanted to attempt to calm down the worried wife. All of them had been there for three and a half hours, the friends took breaks on doing coffee and snack runs. Finally, the doctor emerged from the Emergency Room as all eyes fell on him.

Of course, they were oddly surprised to find out that the doctor was someone they knew. Emmett Eretson. "Dr. Eretson? What are you doing here?" Nate asked first.

"Well, Berkville is my hometown. I saw when Harrison was brought in and I took the lead on his surgery," Emmett said softly.

"How is he?!" Briana demanded quickly and rushing forward.

"Alive and very lucky to be with all I saw," Emmett said as he motioned with his hands for everyone to sit down, reluctantly, they did so. "Harrison sustained multiple injuries; the worst was to his left leg as I understand he was shot twice,"

"Yes, that's correct. Will he recover?" Aaron inquired.

"If I might be allowed to finish?" Emmett asked while placing his hands in his pockets as Aaron nodded and stepped back. "Thank you. Now. I apologize for the long wait on an update, but there was a lot to be done to save his life. As you know, Harrison was gravely injured in the explosion. He suffered multiple small injuries to his person, mainly the face; it's really just some cuts, burns, and bruising. In addition, there was internal bleeding and severe injuries to his leg. The chest and abdominal injuries were straightforward to deal with, Harrison has two broken ribs on the right and a cracked one on the left along with his right wrist being sprained. I assume this was from the impact after the blast, but the leg injury was far worse,"

"How worse are we talking?" Glenn tried. Emmett gave them a sympathetic look now as they got nervous.

"There was extensive damage to the nerves and blood vessels within the lower leg and extensive loss of skin and muscle. The left lower leg bones were severely broken. We undertook surgery but despite the best efforts of trauma and vascular surgeons, we were unable to restore blood supply to the lower leg meaning there was no prospect of the leg healing. The tissue was already dying and had we done nothing, Harrison would have developed gangrene and died. Therefore, the only option we had was to amputate. I'm sorry, but we had to remove his leg from below the knee to save his life," Emmett informed as they all gasped. Briana instantly began to cry again, hiding her face into Skye's shoulder.

"Where…is he now?" Nate forced out.

"Harrison is very sick, and in the intensive care unit, remaining in an induced coma. His condition is critical but stable. I'll take you to see him, but much like with when Nate was in isolation, there cannot be too many people in the room at once. I'm setting the limit at four," Emmett told them calmly.

"What happens when you take him out of the induced coma?" Viviana asked.

"Well, we have to wait for him to wake up; it usually doesn't take long. After that, I'm sure he'll need some time to come around and be aware of things. By that point, we'll explain to him his injuries, the recovery time," Emmett listed off.

"Will he walk again?" Briana wondered, finally calming down a bit.

"Of course, Mrs. Haddock. Harrison can start basic leg exercises as soon as he's able to move without much pain. As I said, he has the sprained wrist, the two broken and one cracked ribs. It will take some time and I would also like to warn you that the physical recovery is not the only one to consider," Emmett began.

"Meaning?" Regina asked.

"Dr. Eretson is referring to the trauma of the accident affecting Harrison. You have to figure that he took on a large dragon, then fought Dominic, the blast; all of that is going to take some time to process, then he'll have to cope with losing his leg. Unfortunately, the doctor or even us can't say how it will go until he wakes up. Some soldiers are fine after things like this, and others are not," Aaron informed.

"Precisely. Harrison not only has to face the two or three months of recovery, but also the physical therapy. Within that, Harrison will also need to cope with the mental and emotional side of things. As it stands now, Harrison, I assume will be discharged from the military, that will be something else he has to wrap his head around. Patients like this, well, they don't all handle it as nice as we'd hope for. I'm certain that Aaron and Glenn here will advise to keep an eye on him after he leaves the hospital. However, as they said, we don't know anything until he wakes up and learns about what has happened," Emmett said gently.

"After he wakes up from this, he'll undergo a psychiatric evaluation, and then he will likely be honorably and medically discharged from the military. Even after that, we'll probably still keep an eye on him for a while," Glenn stated. It was hard to take in, knowing that Harrison risked his life for them and lost his leg doing it. Right now, all most of them wanted to do was see Harrison but would have to keep the visits short. Emmett said they would likely let Harrison off the induced coma in a few days; they wanted to give his body time to rest and restart. All any of them knew is that Harrison was going to need their love and support to get through this, and all of them were willing to give it.

 **[Four Days Later]**

Emmett took Harrison off the induced this morning and said that Harrison should be awake by dinnertime at the latest. However, here it was 7:30 pm and Harrison was still out. The family expressed their concerns to Emmett and he decided to have some tests run to see what the problem might be, an hour passed before Harrison was returned to his ICU room and hooked back up to things as Emmett faced the family and friends to deliver the grim news about Harrison.

"Well, Dr. Eretson. Why hasn't he woken up yet?" Briana asked.

"I'm afraid that he's in a coma," Emmett said.

"Well, yeah. You guys induced him into one," TJ stated slowly. Emmett shook his head now.

"And we removed that this morning, Harrison should be awake by now and he isn't. After running some scans and tests, we've determined that he's just in a coma and we unfortunately don't know when he could wake up. It could be tomorrow, or a week from now, maybe even a few months. In situations like these, we just don't know. A bit of good news though, he isn't in a vegetative or persistent coma, he does respond, slightly, to a bit of touch. Otherwise, he remains unresponsive. All we can do for now is just watch him and pray he wakes up soon," Emmett informed sadly before turning away and going to see about other patients on the floor. The group couldn't believe it, all that time waiting for Harrison be off the medically induced coma and now he was in one or had been. Briana was a mess, all of them were. Harrison risked his life and had to deal with all these changes. As Emmett said though, all they could do now was wait it out.

 **~A/N:** _Big thanks to harrypanther for the assist with all the medical stuff!_


	50. How To Feel

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; Harrison X Briana_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! In addition, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character Ella (Eira) Solveig. She belongs to a good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

50) How To Feel

 **[Three Weeks Later; 11/7/2017]**

The visits to the hospital were daily, a group of four going in at one time to sit with Harrison while he remained in the coma. Briana was one of the people in the room all the time, only taking short breaks to tend to the children or get something to eat, but more often than not, she was at Harrison's side and holding his hand. Briana talked to him every day, telling him how things would be when he woke up, that they could get back to their life with the twins. Briana had Cayden and Colden in daycare five days a week, she did not want them at the hospital because they didn't need to see their father that way. In addition to that, Cayden and Colden were curious two-year-olds and wanted to know what was going on. Harrison was medically but honorably discharged from the Arc Isle Military Forces. Of course, there were still some things that needed to get done before it was official. One of those things was the final evaluation of the soldier and for that; they needed Harrison to be awake.

All of them just wanted Harrison to wake up, but it was starting to look like he'd be out for a while. Dr. Eretson explained that this happened sometimes. It was a traumatic event and it takes time for everything to reset, part of it might be that in Harrison's mind, he was still fighting. It was complicated to understand but at the same time, they just wanted Harrison awake to make sure he was going to be okay. Harrison would have a lot to work through as Aaron, Glenn, and Emmett had explained what could happen after Harrison awoke. It was explained that Harrison could develop PTSD from what occurred, that he would have trouble sleeping, loud sounds would take him back to the grenade. The worse thing to worry about was if Harrison's memory was in tact, Emmett mentioned that it could happen.

Right now in the room was Briana, Addilyn, Andy, and Skye, everyone else was on a food and coffee break. Briana was holding Harrison's hand, stroking her finger over it. "Please wake up, please, babe?" Briana pleaded softly.

"It's going to be okay, Bri. Harrison will wake up soon, I'm sure of it. What happened was…really traumatic for him. Taking on Red Death, fighting that Dominic guy, then the grenade. You heard Dr. Eretson, in Harrison's mind, he's still fighting for his life and he probably won't wake up until he-," Skye was cut short by Briana gasping, then she stood up and leaned over the bed.

"Harrison?!" Briana asked quickly.

"Bri, what are you talking about?" Addilyn said as she moved from her spot by the window.

"I-I felt Harrison move his hand and hold mine!" Briana exclaimed. "Baby? Harrison, baby, it's me. It's Bri. I'm right here. If you can hear me, squeeze my hand again…please? Let me know you're with me?" she asked. At first, there was nothing and then they saw his hand clench a little and tighten on Briana's. The four of them were in shock and watched closely as Harrison's eyes began moving around behind the lids. "Come on, that's it, Harrison. Wake up and open your eyes for me," Briana pleaded.

Harrison's eyes slowly began to open, twitching at the bright lights overhead. Harrison blinked his green eyes a few times to let them adjust. Finally, he looked around, it appeared that he was taking everything in around him.

 _{Harrison's POV}_

My head was throbbing, but I heard a familiar voice calling to me. I felt my hand being held by another soft one, a finger stroked over my knuckles. "Please wake up? Please, babe?" I heard. That was Briana's voice! W-Was I unconscious? Had I been for long? I-I couldn't remember anything. I also couldn't move. What was going on!? I heard beeping, and voices still. Finally, I felt a tingling in my hand, the one that was being held. I willed it to move as and I gave a small squeeze and heard Briana and whoever was with her get worked up. I heard Briana tell me to squeeze again if I could hear her, so I did. Alright, I needed to wake up and find out what was going on. I focused hard and tried to open my eyes, it was so bright. I heard the beeping more clearly now; I recognized the particular tone too. Was I in a hospital?

' _Come on, wake up, Harrison. Wake up!'_ I ordered myself as I got my eyes open and blinked to focus them. When my vision was clear, I looked around to find myself in a hospital. I had a breathing mask on, I was hooked up to a monitor that kept track of my pulse, blood pressure, and heart rate. I could tell there was an IV in my arm too. What the hell happened to me?

"Harrison?" Briana asked as I let my eye focus on her.

"H-Hey, beautiful," I stated while trying to give her a smile.

"Oh, thank you God!" Briana cried lightly, "I was so scared that I'd lost you," I didn't understand, what happened to me? I saw Skye, Addilyn, and Andy in the room.

"What is all the noise in-," a nurse barged in and stopped when she looked at me. Instantly, she rushed out. Okay, now I was utterly confused. In a matter of fifteen minutes, my room was swarmed with my parents, Nate, Briana's family, then all my other friends.

"Oh, my baby! You're awake, thank Odin," my mother cried.

"Okay, have I missed something? Last I checked I was only going into surgery to donate bone marrow for Nate," I said as the all stepped back once, looking shocked and maybe a little concerned. The door opened revealing Dr. Eretson.

"Well now, there he is. How do you feel?" Emmett asked with a smile as he put a hand up to the others who wanted to ask questions.

"Uh, not entirely sure. I feel like I've been sleeping in a box for two weeks," I admitted. "Can you tell me why everyone is looking at me that way?" I motioned to the others.

"That's to be expected, lad. And it's because you've been unconscious for a few weeks, in a coma to be exact," Dr. Eretson said softly. I stopped and my eyes widened a bit after he said that. I'd been in a coma for a few weeks?! "Hey, hey. Relax. It's okay, deep breaths. I don't want to have to put you under again to calm you down, Harrison," Emmett warned. I was panicking, but decided to take breaths before looking at him again, a more serious look in my eyes now. "See, there you go. Alright, now. Since you have just woken up, I need to ask you a few questions to make sure you know who you are and what's going on, okay?"

I forced a nod before he looked to the others. "Why don't you give us a few minutes so I can see where we are at?" he told them as they nodded and left the room. I didn't understand anything. I tried to stay calm as Dr. Eretson asked me a bunch of questions about myself. This took close to fifteen minutes to do, I hoped we were nearing the end because I was tired already. "Now, Harrison. Can you tell me what month and year we're in?" Emmett inquired.

"I-It's Ju-July…19th, 2016?" I replied unsurely. What else could the date have been? It was the day that I donated the bone marrow for Nate, wasn't it? Emmett sighed as he got up and put a hand on my shoulder. I really didn't like this anymore. Emmett smiled as he prepared to leave the room, I brought my hand to head and then noticed the wedding band on my finger. When did I get married? I pulled the band off and looked on the inside of it to read the inscription: _BG &HH 10/7/2017_. Wait, if this band was dated for 2017 then…was I in the year 2016? I couldn't be if this band was on my finger. I slid the band back on now and I glanced around the room quickly. I saw the board by the door reading the date as November 7, 2019. 2019?! What the hell happened to me! Why…was I thinking it was 2016 when it's really 2019!? I didn't understand. Why wouldn't anyone tell me what happened?

"Harrison? Are you alright?" Emmett asked. I didn't answer, I was confused and upset. I wanted to understand all this! I closed my eyes tightly and started shaking my head, I could hear my monitor beeping wildly now. "Harrison. Harrison! It's okay, calm down my friend. If you don't stop, you're going to reopen your wounds," Emmett said to me quickly. I felt arms on me and began thrashing about, but something felt different. As my legs hit the bed, something on the left was different. I stopped while panting heavily and looked down at my feet, nervously, I moved the covers off my legs and saw that my left leg was…missing. My eyes widened, I began seeing blurred flashes of something that happened to me. I heard gunshots and explosions, screams of terror and fear. I held my head tightly, closing my eyes while I shook violently.

The last thing I heard before everything went black was "Help me hold him down!"

 _{Normal POV}_

 **[Three Days Later]**

When Emmett exited Harrison's room, the group of family and friends were worried since they had heard Emmett yell for help in holding Harrison down. Emmett explained what happened during the questions, that Harrison said it was July 2016, the day he'd given Nate the bone marrow transplant. It worried everyone that Harrison was awake and out of the coma but thought that it was three years prior. Emmett also explained that Harrison noticed his wedding band, looked around the room and likely saw the date on the white board where pertinent information went about the nurse, doctor, so on and so forth. The last thing Emmett informed everyone of is that Harrison went into a confused panic after he saw his leg was missing. Of course, this didn't make anyone feel better. It came out that as Emmett was going to restrain and sedate Harrison, he ended up blacking out and since then, hasn't woken up.

For Harrison, he had woken up a few times in fact, but kept his eyes closed and pretended to still be out so he could think. How had he lost his left leg? How was he married? What the hell had happened to him? It took a bit, but Harrison eventually got the information by listening to his friends and family talk about him taking on Red Death, then Dominic Bludvist, the last thing that triggered Harrison into remembering was them mentioning the grenade. That seemed to be all it took for Harrison to recall the events that transpired three weeks ago. Harrison remembered everything about the fights, the explosion, and he knew if he told them he remembered, he'd have to talk about it and he just wasn't ready to. Harrison was still coming to terms with his leg being gone, basically from the shin down. Correct term would be his food was gone, not leg. Harrison knew they were worried so he might as well just _wake up_ and set them a little at ease.

Harrison made no effort to move his body, he just slowly opened his eyes and coughed a few times getting the attention of anyone who was in the room. By the sights of it; everyone was in there and Harrison wasn't in the same room as before either, this new one seemed bigger and a lot less bright.

"Harrison…Thank the lucky stars," Briana said gently. "We thought for sure you fell into another coma,"

"I've been awake since this morning when you all arrived, just made it look like I was sleeping so I could find out what the hell happened. I heard what Dr. Eretson said about not saying a word and letting me remember on my own, sucks for him because I'm an impatient guy," Harrison admitted.

"S-So you remember what happened then? And…that we're married, with two boys?" Briana asked gently. Harrison nodded to her as the door opened to reveal Emmett there.

"Good to see you're awake again," Emmett smiled.

"Been up, just resting. So, my leg is gone. What happens now?" Harrison boldly asked, although he already had a good feeling about it.

"Well, now I get to tell you all the injuries you sustained and how we're going to heal them up to get you back on your feet," Emmett said confidently. Harrison sighed as he looked out his hospital room window, somehow, that remark just made him feel worse. "Oh, I suppose that was the wrong-," he started.

"I don't care. It happened, it's over with, just tell me what I'm doing next, doc," Harrison cut him off. The others noticed it right away that Harrison seemed a little colder with the news settling in that he lost his leg in that explosion caused by Dominic.

"The good news is that your wrist and cracked rib are healed, so are most of your minor injuries like the bruising, cuts, and small burns. You are still recovering from two broken ribs on the right side, about three to four more weeks for those to heal. Your upper left thigh gunshot wound as well. The one to your shin was…well, where it was is where we took your leg from," Emmett informed.

"I asked for what's next, not something I already know. I figured out my wounds and heal time based on how long I was in a coma for," Harrison remarked.

"Well, you're at a point now where you can start simple leg exercises. When the bullet wound heals in another month or so, you can start physical therapy and artificial limb," Emmett stated. Now the room was quiet as Emmett decided it would be best if he left, that's the notion he got from Harrison. After Emmett left, Aaron approached him.

"I'm just going to go ahead and assume that this no leg deal has me discharged from active duty, doesn't it?" Harrison asked quietly.

"Not just active duty, Haddock. You're…medically and honorably discharged from the Arc Isle Military. All…headquarters needs is your final evaluation," Aaron informed softly. Harrison closed his eyes and turned his head more. "Hey, it's not all bad, we'll still come se-,"

"Let's just…get it over with," Harrison cut him off. Glenn had the others leave the room, telling them to try and not worry, but it would take Harrison some time to cope with everything. The evaluation lasted for two hours, by the time Aaron and Glenn left the room, Harrison was laying back down to go to sleep, keeping his back turned to them. Aaron let them know that they'd be in touch soon to check in on Harrison, also that he passed his evaluation and nothing raises a red flag at the moment. Glenn mentioned that Harrison said he was still tired and going to sleep so asked that everyone stay quiet. For Harrison, he laid there in his hospital room trying to process everything. The worst part about it all is that Harrison had no idea how to feel about it all, so he just went to sleep, not wanting to think about it anymore.


	51. A Growing Distance

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; Harrison X Briana_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! In addition, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character Ella (Eira) Solveig. She belongs to a good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

51) A Growing Distance

 _{Harrison's POV}_

 **[December 10, 2019-Briana & Harrison's Apartment]**

My total heal time had been estimated for three months. I was in a coma for three weeks after the initial surgery, then a few more days when I was hit with the shocking information that I had lost my leg from being shot and the explosion caused by the grenade Dominic Bludvist had set off. My ribs and wrist were healed completely, there was little scarring from the bodily injuries I sustained in the battle that occurred back in October. It was hard to believe that it was now December 10th, fifteen days until Snoggletog, and following that was the New Year; 2020. So much had changed, mainly me. I wasn't who I used to be, sadly, I didn't know who that was anymore. My upper thigh bullet wound had healed, though, I still got twinges of pain from time to time. As Emmett had said, the worst of my injuries was my left leg healing after the surgery. I had another month to go with that, it was guess to take three months total. I've served two of those so far and I was released from the hospital two weeks ago after I gave up trying to think things would ever be the same.

I couldn't pretend that it was and I couldn't lie to myself that it would be. I was medically but honorably discharged from the military and oddly enough, what I did got me promoted to Second Lieutenant. I didn't understand how? As soon as the military learned of me losing my leg, they knew I couldn't serve anymore so why promote into the officer ranks? I asked Aaron and Glenn, but all they have said is that it is what I earned for taking on a three-year operation, solo, and defeating a very dangerous adversary. I saved the dragons from enslavement by Dominic, and I protected my hometown, my entire island from Red Death. I risked my life and lost my limb doing it, that is what my former CO's told me at least. I sighed as I stared out the window of mine and Briana's new apartment, yeah, we had a new one to accommodate the fact I was considered handicapped knew, using only a wheelchair and pair of crutches to get around.

The new apartment happened two weeks before I was discharged from the hospital; after I told them I was done with physical therapy, that I just could not do it because it hurt to keep trying. Dr. Eretson said to give it more time, but I refused. I knew everyone was worried about me, they had been since that day; the one where I said I was done.

 **/Flashback-Two Weeks Ago/**

 _Today was another day I'd be doing physical therapy. My leg was healed enough to try with a temporary artificial limb, in truth, I'd been working with just wearing one and using crutches for the past two weeks. Everyone was trying to show up to show his or her support. Unfortunately, for them, I was done with all this. I could not walk on the fake leg, it was not the same and it hurt too. I'd been trying different kinds of artificial limbs for two weeks and I'd just come to accept that I couldn't do it. The way I saw it, I'd never walk again. I could do enough on the crutches to get around and live an average life, that was all the hospital needed to see in order for me to be released. Since the physical therapy area wasn't big, I asked that any visitors just wait in my room for me. Emmett was with me now, so was the physical therapist I'd been working with the last few weeks and a prosthetic limb specialist._

" _Come on, Harrison. Let's give it another go, this leg here is a prototype of our latest model. It's not perfected yet, but been approved for human testing. Once we finish this, it will look and move like a real leg," said the specialist._

 _I might as well give it a try, to humor the woman at least. I nodded to her as she took it out of the box and positioned it on my leg. When it was all set, she stepped back as the physical therapist stood in front of me while I forced myself to get up. It still hurt, I tried a few times but just couldn't get it. It's like my leg refused to do what I needed it to. Honestly, I was taking it as my sign to quit. Why bother? My life would never be what it was. I couldn't go back to the army, and I couldn't work at Berkys in this condition. I was jobless and I felt useless. I didn't care anymore, I was done with this. I closed my eyes and shook my head._

" _Just give it some time, Harri-," Emmett began._

" _I'm done, Doc," I told him._

" _We've only been trying for about three weeks. We'll keep at it, perhaps you just need a little more time to heal up," Emmett offered._

" _No. I'm done, Dr. Eretson. I appreciate you trying, and you as well, Miss. Caldone. Your artificial limbs are amazing, but they just don't work for me. I'm sorry, but I don't want to keep doing this. I can't. I'm done with it," I said as cringed a bit and the physical therapist helped me back into the wheelchair. "I can…get around fine in this or with crutches. I'm tired of trying, I just want to go home," I said. I heard the three of them sigh, they knew they couldn't force me to keep doing it if I didn't want to anymore._

" _I'll take you back to your room and start your discharge then. It might take a week or so though. Tests to run, standard protocol, son," Emmett said as I just kept my eyes closed, nodding while he wheeled me back to my room. Right away, I heard the voices of my friends and family._

" _Harrison, done with physical therapy already, son?" my father asked._

" _Done altogether," I heard them gasp when I said it. "I'm sick of trying and failing with every fake limb. I can't walk anymore, it hurts. So I'm done with it. Now, if no one minds, I'd like to be left alone for a while," I said while wheeling myself over to the window and just staring out it._

" _B-But lad, you can't just give up," Aaron tried._

" _And you can't tell me what to do anymore and nobody here can tell me how to live my life," I snapped while clenching my fist. "I'm done and I want to be alone. Please…?" I said calmer in a low tone. The others were going to protest but I heard Glenn tell them that it was best to just leave the room for a while and let me calm down. I wasn't angry with them, but I did want to be alone with my thoughts for a bit. I was done lying to myself that things would be as they were. Nothing would ever be as it once was, this was my life now, so I might as well accept it for what it is._

 **/End Flashback/**

So, here I am two weeks later and home again. Well, new home. As I said, Briana went and got us a new apartment that didn't have stairs. I knew she had good intentions; she wanted to make it easier for me to get around since I was handicapped now. Our new place was three bedrooms, first floor with a front and back porch, ramp for both. There was a kitchen and dining room, open concept to the living room. There was a bathroom with a place I could sit for a shower, then of course the three bedrooms. I asked her why she picked a place with three bedrooms, Briana said that it was a good deal for three so she took it. This place was only $950 a month, little more than we were paying for the old place but worth it I guess. This place had a bigger yard for the dragons, and the twins to play in. In addition, there was an indoor porch/sunroom as it was called nowadays.

There was a barn too, perfect for Toothless, Nightstar, and Stormsky. Plus, there was room for more, but as it turned out, Toothless and Stormfly were just enjoying their life together with Stormsky. Luna and Streamwing came by when Nate and Emily did. It was a nice apartment, closer to everyone too but knowing that Briana went out of her way to get this place, and everyone made such a quick move without me knowing, made me feel worse. Things were getting bad for me; I was suffering endless nightmares and flashbacks about what happened, even things from two years ago when I lost friend in Kuwait were starting to come forward and I was having a hard time coping with it all, but I was sure I could. It would…just take time. Did I mention that Glenn retired from the military after fifty years in? Glenn gave me his cell phone number, told me to call him if I needed anything.

Briana was now working a day job, she was part time military now since I wasn't working. The twins went to daycare, she'd take and bring them home everyday, and she had the weekends off. Most of the time, I was home alone, trying to do chores and having a lot of time to think. I still flew Toothless, he was kind of my only way around now. I still had my truck but didn't drive it anymore, without my left leg, I couldn't even get into it. I knew things were getting bad for me, since being home, I've started drinking. It was light at first, now I was going to the bar around 2 pm, drinking until 6 then Toothless would bring me home. Also, I was smoking cigarettes and nobody knew about it. At the same time, I didn't care. This was my life, wasn't it? Tonight, everyone was supposed to be coming over, it was a once a week thing to check on me. Honestly, I was getting annoyed with it, I suppose I couldn't blame them for worrying though. Hell, I was starting to worry about myself and how far down I've gone.

 **[7 pm]**

As expected; most everyone was over. My parents, Briana's, Nate, Alex, Jasmine too. With them there was Skye, Trevor, Hailey, Dexter, Syrus, Regina, Frankie, TJ, Addilyn, and Andy. Olivia and Chelsea had a double date with their boyfriends tonight. Glenn was over, but Aaron had work. Although I wasn't doing the physical therapy anymore, Dr. Eretson let me keep one of the fake legs, it was a temporary one. Just something so I could feel like there was a leg there, it let me where pants and a shoe to look a little normal. Yeah, I was self-conscious about it, and Emmett said that was to be expected. At the moment, I was saying much to anything and watching the news.

"How was your day, Harrison?" Addilyn asked.

"Same as every day, Addy. I wake up, I shower, I do a few chores, go for a fly, then sit here," I told her. Yeah, this was way too quiet for my liking. I grabbed my crutches that sat beside my chair and got up slowly, then moved towards the back porch. "Toothless!" I called and gave a whistle. Not more than five minutes later, Toothless came to the back porch door as and I forced myself onto his back, then kept the crutches across my thighs.

"Harrison, wait, where are you going?" Briana asked me quickly.

"I just need to get out for a while. I'll be home later," I said before kissing her cheek and Toothless launched into the dark sky. Ten minutes later, we were at the bar. I put Toothless in the stable with a small bucket of fish, then water. I made my way into the bar and grabbed a stool as the barkeep made his way over to me. I handed him my ID knowing it was the first thing he'd check, after that, he smiled and handed it back.

"What will it be tonight, my friend?" he asked.

"My usual, Dylan," I replied to him. The man nodded and fixed up my drink, then handed it to me.

"Made it a double for you, seems like you're having a rough night," Dylan smiled.

"Thanks," I sighed and took a long drink from it. It wasn't like me to leave the house to come drinking, everyone knew I drank, but not this heavy and right now, I didn't care if they found out. I needed to do something, think about anything other than the memory of that horrific day.

 _{Normal POV}_

 **[Three Hours Later]**

Everyone was preparing to leave the young Haddock's residence, feeling that Harrison would not be returning anytime soon. Moreover, they didn't even know where he was. As they were heading for the door, the landline rang as Briana answered it.

"Hello?" Briana said after pressing the button. At first, she was confused. "Yes, this is Harrison's wife. Who may I ask are you?" she inquired. Finally, they saw her eyes turn to shock and widen with concern. "Thank you for calling, we've been wondering where he was for three hours. How is he?" she wondered as the group was wondering who was on the phone. Briana put it on speaker now as they heard a male voice talking.

" _He's wasted. Harrison has been slamming the drinks back for nearly two hours, and I cut him off and gave him water to help him sober up, but he went to the restroom and started throwing up. One of the other bar patrons informed me. Also, in there, he seemed to be, I don't know how to word it. Stuck in some kind of flashback, he looked terrified; holding his head and shaking it side to side if anyone tried to touch him. All that aside, he is okay now. I have him in a booth now, but he's out of it, tired, and needs to be picked up so he can get some rest,"_ the man said.

"I'll come get him," Briana said gently, after that the call ended.

"We'll go get him," Trevor and Syrus offered. Briana nodded as she sat down, trying to take in what the bartender said about Harrison. Trevor and Syrus left, the others decided to stay to make sure Briana was going to be okay and check on Harrison when he was delivered home. Twenty minutes later, Trevor and Syrus returned, helping Harrison inside and to the bedroom. Harrison was knocked out, likely from drinking so much. None of them really knew what to do about this, if they told Harrison to talk to someone, he wouldn't. However, they knew something needed to happen because Harrison was becoming distant from everyone, and tonight proved it because Harrison left the house to go to the bar and drink until he couldn't think straight anymore. The distance was only growing and they needed to stop it without pushing Harrison too much. It was clear that Harrison was having a hard time adjusting, perhaps too much time alone was making it worse. It was all they could do, for now, keep an eye on him, make sure he wasn't alone every day.


	52. Rock Bottom

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; Harrison X Briana_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! In addition, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character Ella (Eira) Solveig. She belongs to a good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

52) Rock Bottom

 _{Normal POV}_

 **[April 24, 2020-Briana & Harrison's Apartment]**

Harrison was completely depressed and suffering from severe PTSD over what happened to him, the worst part of it all was that no one knew. Briana, his parents, her parents, Nate, Alex, Jasmine, and all their friends didn't know what he was going through because he wouldn't let them see how much this was destroying him. Snoggletog and the New Year had come and gone, it was now April in the year 2020. Harrison had turned twenty-two-years-old in February, this had been one of those years where the twenty-ninth actually came. On the fourteenth of April, Briana turned twenty-two as well. Harrison tried to hide his depression from them, but it wasn't the easiest task to accomplish because everyone had been keeping a close watch on him since that night at the bar in December. Glenn had been the one to point out that Harrison was likely suffering a little depression from not being able to do all the things he used to do.

Briana's biggest fear was that Harrison had PTSD from the incident, and Glenn confirmed that Harrison probably did have a slight case of it, but also that it was normal. The event was traumatic for Harrison, so much that when he'd woken up after a three-week coma, Harrison thought it was still the year 2016 when he had been in the hospital donating bone marrow to Nate, then he noticed the date was 2019, also that his leg was gone. It was so shocking that Harrison blacked out. Upon waking up, he knew what happened to him just by listening to all of his visitors talk about the situation. Aaron had stopped by a few times at Glenn's mention of PTSD setting in, that forced the Major of Sky Striker Company to stop by and talk to everyone about what had been going on lately, because he wanted to make sure Harrison wasn't on the verge of a breakdown where he could hurt himself or attempt suicide. That alone made everyone scared, it wasn't an easy day to accept that information.

 **/Flashback to January 2020/**

 _It was one week into the New Year, Harrison was still quiet and drinking heavily. Ten to one, Briana and anyone who came over at night to visit would see a beer or stronger drink in a glass with ice in Harrison's hand. When it hit a point that Briana noticed Harrison was just about drunk every night, maybe not wasted or hammered, but still drunk. One of the times Glenn was over and Harrison was taking a flight on Toothless, Briana confided in him that she was worried for her husband._

" _Glenn, I'm scared for him. Something is wrong and he won't talk about it," Briana said lightly with a sigh. The twins were with her parents today, so it gave Briana some time to think and she was convinced that Harrison had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. "I think he has PTSD,"_

" _Well, the chance of him having a small case of it is high, Briana. You have to remember what he went through, lass. Harrison took on a three-year operation to track that target down and learn about Red Death, something he thought was a weapon of mass destruction," Glenn reminded._

" _Well, it might not have been a real weapon, but that Dominic guy trained it to be one," Syrus stated softly._

" _Exactly. Harrison raced back here from Syria to take that dragon on, then when he was faced with losing his the people he cares about, Harrison was willing to give up his freedom to save everyone. On top of being exhausted from the fight with Red Death, Harrison then took on Dominic alone. After all said and done, Dominic cornered Harrison with a grenade that Harrison barely escaped from. It was a near death experience, and that is likely to continue to bother him because the reminder of the attack is on him, the loss of his leg," Glenn informed._

" _Glenn, I know my husband and I understand that he's got the reminder, but there's more going on and I'm scared. Harrison can't get through one night without waking up from a nightmare. I'll wake up around 2-3 am and watch Harrison toss and turn in the bed, he'll start mentioning friends he's lost from that tour in Kuwait, he'll wake up with no warning, sit up, barely be able to catch his breath, and sweating," Briana admitted._

" _I'll talk to Aaron about it. We did evaluate him, but perhaps now that time has passed, he could be feeling differently about all that happened. Keep your chin up, lass," Glenn patted her knees as he got up to make a phone call to Aaron._

 _ **[A Week Later]**_

 _Aaron was over, he'd taken Harrison for an hour or so to talk and when they came back, Harrison went for a fly with Toothless. Aaron sat down with the others who were over to make sure Harrison was okay. "Harrison does have PTSD, he told me about the nightmares and it's all because of what happened to him. I sent him through small evaluation with me, standard procedure in these situations to make sure that he's not on the verge of breaking down," Aaron started._

" _W-Why would he break down?" Viviana asked gently, becoming afraid._

"" _Unfortunately, it happens when something traumatic like this happens and it's my job as his former CO to make sure he's…shall we say, stable in a mental sense. In short, I have to make sure he's not a threat to anyone or himself. Some soldiers his such a bad state after discharge that they are overcome with everything related to what happened to them. In Harrison's case, he lost his leg due to a military operation, so its common that now, he starts remembering everything military related, both the good and bad. However, in some situations, a soldier will remember so much that they begin thinking that's where they are, still in danger. For example, remember when Harrison woke up after donating to Nathaniel, he freaked out and covered his head, shaking it, Glenn had to tell him he was safe and that it was okay?" Aaron reminded._

" _Yeah, we remember that. Was…that a form of PTSD?" Trevor inquired._

" _Aye. Due to something that happened when he was deployed to Afghanistan for those two months before returning here when Nate called him. There was a situation where Harrison found himself surrounded by enemies after being knocked out for several minutes, his team on that mission got him out. However, when he woke up with all of you around, he didn't know it was you, he thought he was in danger of being killed. That's why Glenn had to snap him out of it. That is PTSD, when similar events to past ones come back, makes the person relive those feelings and sometimes forget where they are," Aaron stated._

" _So, why hasn't he gotten any help for this. Doesn't…PTSD untreated get worse?" Addilyn wondered._

" _If it had gone untreated, yes. However, Harrison did come and speak to myself and Aaron about what happened and we worked with him to get through it," Glenn informed._

" _Harrison is okay, everything you're seeing happen is normal. It takes a long time to recover emotionally and mentally from situations like these. You just have to give him his space. Don't worry about the drinking, it's not out of control and it helps him sleep. I'm sure you've noticed that he's not having as much trouble anymore. Normally, we wouldn't advise drinking as a coping mechanism, but, Harrison admitted to me that he tried sleeping pills and it started increasing suicidal thoughts so he stopped taking them," Aaron said. "Just give him time, it's only been three months since the accident, and recovering from something like this is not easy," The others sighed and nodded to Aaron. What else could they do? If Harrison told Aaron he was okay, just coping, then there was no reason no to believe him, right?_

 **/End Flashback/**

Thus since then, everyone was giving Harrison his space while still keeping a close eye on him because Aaron did say that if Harrison started to show signs of shutting down, wanting to hurt himself, or anything like that to call him right away. It wasn't what anyone wanted to hear, but they knew that the possibility was there so they would watch from a distance so they didn't crowd him too much. Aaron warned that if they tried to push him to be okay before he was ready, Harrison would push away from them and that's when things could get worse because if they did too much to try and help him, Harrison would start feeling useless because he can't do it himself. Today was one of those days where Briana was working, the twins were at daycare, and Harrison was home alone.

For Harrison's side of things, everything was getting worse and he didn't want to do this anymore. Harrison's nightmares were controlled with alcohol, but that didn't stop flashbacks during the day. Harrison was breaking down about everything. The loss of his leg, being unable to walk anymore, everything he endured in Kuwait and on that secret operation. Harrison just wanted it to stop and it wouldn't, he felt so useless and helpless like no matter what, he would never be able to do things without someone helping him. At the moment, Harrison was on the floor in the living room near the wall and crying. Harrison couldn't do anything anymore even though he was completely healed now, the others tried to get him to try physical therapy again, but Harrison refused. What point was there?

That's how Harrison felt right now, that there was no point to anything. Harrison's life would never be what it was and he wasn't himself anymore, what point was there in trying to fake it? What reason did Harrison have to stay alive? Harrison couldn't chase his sons or make love to his wife. The last time they'd done anything was for Briana's birthday a few weeks ago, it wasn't an awesome experience because Harrison couldn't do what he used to and so it ended with Harrison on his back and Briana riding him. This is how it had been since the doctor cleared him to be healed in January. Harrison felt that Briana deserved a complete husband and that is sons deserved to have a father who could do more with them. With the twins getting older now, it was hard for Briana to manage them and Harrison couldn't do much to help.

Harrison had no reason to live anymore. Why would he want to live this life? Harrison didn't know who he was anymore and to him, that meant that everything he was living wasn't his to live. Harrison couldn't stand this, he just wanted it to stop. Harrison was drinking heavy from a bottle of Southern Comfort, Harrison wouldn't do this anymore. Harrison grabbed his pocketknife, one of his only military object left beside his uniform that hung in the bedroom closet with a pair of boots and his dog tags. Harrison opened the blade and through the falling tears, Harrison slit his wrists, a few times on each. The searing pain made him forget about the flashbacks; then Harrison had a bottle of pills next to him too, he'd been contemplating it most of the day, to kill himself and that's what led to the break down. Harrison grabbed the pills shakily; he opened it and poured about five into his hand, way over the recommended dose which was one every four hours because they were 500 mg a piece.

Harrison tossed the pills into his mouth and chased them down with the alcohol. It wouldn't matter soon, he'd be dead before anyone got home. Harrison sat against the wall, bleeding and waiting for the pills to overtake him, he ended up taking two more. Harrison couldn't feel anything anymore, which is exactly what he'd been aiming for. Harrison felt tired and weak, he swayed a few times and his crutches fell, hitting the table by the couch and knocking a few things over including a picture. Harrison slowly reached for it and picked the frame up; he turned it over and saw the picture there. It was the day in the hospital when Briana gave birth to the twins, the day they got married too. Harrison didn't realize he'd started crying again and ask himself why he was killing himself. Harrison didn't want to die, he just wanted to be him again. Harrison coughed a few times as he struggled to reach for his cell phone, which was on the center table a few feet away.

Harrison let himself fall forward and crawl slowly to the table, he hissed at the pain to his wrists and was having a hard time staying focused. Harrison reached his phone, and called someone he knew was close, and could help him. Glenn. Harrison pressed the green button and put it on speakerphone.

" _Hello?"_

"H-He…lp m-me. Pl…ease hel…p m-me," Harrison forced out weakly.

" _Harrison? What's wrong, lad? You sound terrible,"_ Glenn responded.

"N-Ne..ed…hel-," Harrison started again, and then he threw up. Harrison coughed hard, it sounded like he was choking. "N-Not…ok…ay. P-Plea..se…he…lp," he managed.

" _I'm on my way, Harrison. Stay on the phone with me now. Can you tell me what happened, lad? Are you alone? Are you sick? Ya need to tell me what's wrong so I can help you,"_ Glenn stated. Harrison didn't answer, he was trying to stay conscious but it wasn't working so well for him. _"Harrison? Harrison, answer me?"_ Harrison was breathing heavily, things getting blurry around him. _"Harrison!"_ With Glenn, he was holding the phone to his ear while driving to Harrison's apartment as fast as he could. Harrison wasn't answering and it sounded bad. Glenn reached Harrison's place five minutes later and rushed to the door, opening it quickly and seeing Harrison on the floor, barely hanging to consciousness.

Glenn saw what happened; the alcohol tipped over, a bottle of pills slightly spilled onto the floor, and the bloody pocketknife was all Glenn needed to figure it out. Harrison broke down and tried to kill himself. Glenn hurried to Harrison's side to check on him while getting his phone out to call an ambulance. "I-I'm…sor…ry," Harrison managed.

"Ssh now. Focus on staying awake, Harrison," Glenn ordered.

"I-I don't…wa…nt to…d-die. I want…h-hel…p," Harrison said weakly.

"And we'll get you that help, son. I promise, but you have to stay awake and throw it up if you can," Glenn said, not that it took long, but Harrison threw up in the small trash bin by the couch, he was still crying. Sirens could be heard now, paramedics rushed in to assist.

"A-Ad…mit…me," Harrison coughed through the tears. "I-I can't…control…this anymore,"

"Where should we take him?" the paramedic asked who was wrapping Harrison's wrists.

"Take him to the veteran psychiatric hospital, tell them that the patient is Harrison Haddock, and that it was an attempted suicide, but has chosen to admit himself for help," Glenn said. The paramedics nodded as they got Harrison on the gurney after hooking up an IV for fluids. Glenn got up and followed them out, only to find Briana and the others there, full of fear and not understanding. Glenn hadn't wanted to be the one to tell them that Harrison tried to kill himself, but it seemed it would be him after all. Right now, what was important was getting Harrison the help he needed and apparently wanted. All Glenn knew was that for Harrison to cut his wrists and attempt to overdose, he had hit rock bottom.


	53. Long Way To Go

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; Harrison X Briana_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! In addition, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character Ella (Eira) Solveig. She belongs to a good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

53) Long Way To Go

 _{Normal POV}_

No one understood what was happening. They'd all come home early to try and cheer Harrison up, but all they were seeing was Harrison look unconscious and being loaded into the ambulance with a sad and worried looking Glenn watching from the door of the house. After the ambulance sirens turned on and drove off, Harrison's father was first to speak. "Lieutenant Belmore, what's going on? Why are you here? Why is Harrison being taken away by ambulance?" Spencer demanded. Before Glenn could answer, he put a finger up and called someone.

"Aaron, it's Glenn. We've got a problem," Glenn started, there was a brief pause. "Harrison is on his way to the VPH by ambulance," he stopped again and sighed. "Aaron, for Odin's sake, he was a mess and that's the best place for him right now. I'll explain later. I have his family and friends to inform. And this wasn't my choice, it was his. I'll meet you there in a bit," Glenn stated, after that he ended the call.

"Glenn, please tell me what happened?!" Briana pleaded.

"Where is Harrison going? What's _VPH_?" Nate asked while worrying for his older brother. An officer came out of the apartment now and whispered something to Glenn, then the officer left after Glenn nodded to him.

"Listen, there is no…easy way to say this. Harrison tried to kill himself," Glenn said as they all gasped, eyes widening in shock at the news. I don't know what happened, but Harrison called me about twenty minutes ago saying he needed help. I figured out the suicide attempt based on what I saw when I arrived. Harrison cut his wrists, few times on each one, he was drinking heavily and tried to overdose. VPH is the Veteran Psychiatric Hospital and Harrison is on his way there because that's where he wants to be," he said.

"Wh-What do you mean its…where he wants to be?" Addilyn asked quickly as she tried to calm down. Everyone was in shock, how had they gone so long without seeing the signs that Harrison wasn't suffering from severe depression and PTSD?

"After he threw up a bit, he started regaining some consciousness and he told me to admit him because he couldn't control it anymore. VPH is a military psychiatric hospital, they have round the clock staff to keep an eye on him and offer help if he has anymore of these breakdowns. And I don't want any of you blaming yourselves, we all thought he was okay. I had the officers clean up a bit in there, happened in the living room. I gotta go to VPH and talk to Hagebak about this, its protocol. You're welcome to come too, but it takes a while for processing, evaluations, and what not. I know it scares you, but he made the right choice to admit himself, it means he knows what he did and doesn't want to die, he just doesn't want to feel this way anymore," Glenn informed. "Why don't you stay here and I'll go, and then let you know what's going on," he offered.

"That might be best. I think we need a little time to…take this in before we try to see Harrison," Dexter said gently. "We don't want to make it harder on him, I'm sure he knows we were told what happened and if we make a big deal out of it, it could affect him more,"

"Correct. I'll go and keep you updated. Besides, visitors usually aren't allowed to see patients until cleared by doctors first. They want to make sure Harrison is stable before people see him," Glenn stated as he walked to his dragon and left. Everyone was in shock of what they'd learned; Harrison tried to commit suicide before he broke down and was left alone. If someone had been there, they would have been able to stop this. Now Harrison had admitted himself to the psychiatric hospital to get better, which was good, but it still made the group feel bad because they never saw it coming.

 **[Three Week Later; May 2020]**

Harrison spent three weeks in the Veteran Psychiatric Hospital under close watch and care of the staff members. There were five more episodes of Harrison breaking down and wanting to kill himself within the first week, however, the doctors were able to calm him down and keep working towards a solution. Most of Harrison's PTSD stemmed from his time in the army such as losing friends and witnessing those deaths, then the three-year secret operation. In the hospital, Harrison was on a mild tranquilizer to even out his mood, then moved on to anti-depressants and working through the things he'd been through with a doctor. By week two, Harrison was coming around to stay calm and managing to get past smaller problems without help, yet, he still didn't feel stable enough to return home.

In truth, Harrison refused to see all visitors who can to spend time with him and check in. Harrison didn't want to be asked every ten minutes if he was okay and he didn't want to face them after his attempted suicide. Harrison took phone calls if he was in the mood, that was two to three times a week. Finally, after three weeks, he was feeling stable again. Harrison already spoke to the doctor he'd been working with about ways to control himself if things became too much again, also about the options to return if he felt a desire to hurt himself. The doctor told Harrison that a lot of what might be the problem is how useless Harrison mentioned that he felt needing someone's help since he couldn't walk. The doctor suggested in the middle of week two that maybe Harrison try physical therapy again, but Harrison was still undecided if he should continue it or not. While in the hospital, a military therapist offered to give it a go and Harrison did alright but still had trouble, he was told that it might be due to the fact Harrison hasn't used his left leg since December.

"So, Harrison. We're on week three now, how are you feeling from when you first arrived?" the doctor, Bryan Michaels asked calmly.

"I'm…better than when I came in. I still get the nightmares and flashbacks," Harrison admitted.

"Well, unfortunately, son, those might never go away. They were tough times during your military career, and you will always remember them. All you need to do is take a few deep breaths, splash your face, maybe get a drink of water and remind yourself that it was a risk of the job. The same way you had no hesitation in going against that dragon or that Dominic guy, you knew something had to be done and you were willing to give up your freedom and life for that cause of saving people you care about," Bryan informed.

"Yeah, I know. I feel like I'm stable enough to go home, I just…worry what they'll all think of me. I told them time after time that I was okay when I knew I wasn't, they only wanted to help and I-I wouldn't let them in," Harrison looked down.

"Harrison, listen to me. Those people are your family and friends, they knew you were struggling and didn't want to push you. Yes, I'm sure it hurt them that you closed yourself off, but they understood you were dealing with a lot. I don't think they'll judge you, they were just scared to almost lose you. And you can't blame them for wanting to be around you after everything that happened, however, another way to view this is that they want to be here for you as the staff here have been. Your family and friends are your support system and everyone plays a different role, don't be afraid to let them in and tell them how you're feeling. Someone will always be willing to sit and listen to you," Bryan smiled.

"I just…didn't want them to see me weak," Harrison looked down.

"Needing help doesn't make you weak, Harrison, it makes you human. We all need a little help sometimes, and you can't be afraid to ask for it. So, are you ready to go home?" Bryan inquired. Harrison thought about it for a moment before he took a deep breath and nodded to his doctor. "Alright, I'll start your discharge and get you a ride back home. I'm going to send your prescription for the anti-depressant to the pharmacy closest to you and refer you to a colleague of mine outside the hospital. I want you to continue counseling, twice a week and if you start feeling better, take it to once a week. You can stop when you feel like you're better, okay? I'm releasing you because you said you feel stable, but it doesn't mean you're cured,"

"I understand, Dr. Michaels," Harrison replied to him.

"And remember to give the physical therapy another go, the more you work with that leg, the stronger it will become and perhaps a prosthetic won't bother you as much. Now, if you feel any desire to harm yourself or suicidal thoughts return, I want you to call this number and we'll send someone to pick you up, alright?" Bryan reminded. Harrison nodded as the two exited the office, Harrison signed what he had to then waited in the wheelchair for his ride, Harrison learned that the psychiatric hospital also doubled as a rehabilitation center so he managed to quit smoking and drinking within two weeks. Harrison took a deep breath as he was loaded into the transport van and the door closed. So he was on his way home to see everyone after he hadn't for three weeks. Wouldn't this be interesting for him to deal with?

 **[4:45 pm-Briana and Harrison's Place]**

The van pulled up outside and Harrison remained in the van as Bryan got out to speak to Briana first, explaining the last three weeks so they knew not to overwhelm Harrison when he came out. Bryan reached the porch door and knocked a few times. Briana answered the door and stood there see the man.

"May I help you?" Briana asked.

"Hi there, I'm Bryan Michaels, the doctor who has been working with your husband for three weeks. I was wondering if you had a few minutes?" Bryan smiled.

"Yes, of course. Don't mind all the people in here, we get together once or twice a week for dinner. I-Is this about Harrison?" Briana asked.

"Yes, and not to worry, I assure you he is in a much better state than last time you saw him. I just wanted to go over a few things before I release him into your care, I have him in the van right now. The first thing is that Mr. Haddock is being released because he feels stable enough to be out of twenty-four hour care. The second thing is that he is on anti-depressants, twice a day until his outpatient psychiatrist says he can be off them as they double to keep him level in a mood sense. I referred him to a colleague of mine, and will be having sessions twice a week for now. Lastly and I'm glad everyone is over because you should all be aware of it," Bryan paused.

"What…is it?" Viviana said gently.

"Harrison is feeling a little, shall we say, self conscious about being home after what happened with the attempted suicide, afraid to be judged or that people will be upset with him for not opening up about what was bothering him," Bryan said.

"So, we let him know that we're just glad he's okay and that we're here for him," Glenn stated.

"Exactly. Now, as he's not even close to being cured so to speak, Harrison is aware that if he ever feels _that way_ again, he can contact the hospital directly and we'll send someone to get him. I suppose what I'm saying is to be patient and not all over him. Harrison is still working through a lot and as I said before, he's home because he feel stable to be home and not lose control like last time. Harrison still has little breakdowns at random and times where he just wants to be left alone. You get what I'm getting at?" Bryan asked.

"Let him know we're here if he needs us, understand he's still dealing with a lot, and keep a distanced watch on him?" Aaron asked.

"You got it," Bryan nodded as he looked back to the van and gave a thumbs up. "Oh, the anti-depressants do make him quite tired. I've suggested one in the morning and one at night, keeps him stabilized for flashbacks and nightmares. In addition to that, there isn't much you can do besides remind him that he's safe and it's okay. If you touch him and he jerks away, do not try again until he is calm and aware of where he is. We had an incident during the first week where a male nurse tried to help him out of a flashback and Harrison got a tad violent thinking he was in danger. So I'll leave you with that warning," he added.

Everyone watched as two staff members lowered the ramp with Harrison in his wheelchair on it. Once it hit ground, they began pushing him towards the door. No one rushed him, they just waited anxiously and kept their calm, not wanting to do anything that might set Harrison into relapse. One thing was for sure, they knew not to bring up the almost suicide because it would not help any. Harrison was wheeled inside the apartment and the two staff members patted his shoulders and exited the house. Harrison was nervous; he didn't like all eyes on him after everything that happened. Moreover, Harrison could see the spot where he had tried to kill himself and looked away instantly.

"Harrison, remember what I told you. It's in the past and what do we say about the past?" Bryan asked him gently.

"My past does not define me because my past is not today," Harrison replied.

"Good man. You're gonna be, Harrison. Just remember what you're fighting for. Now, you have my card?" Bryan inquired as Harrison lifted his hand and held the business card between his fingers. "And you can call anytime for anything. Here's all the information for the colleague I mentioned before, first appointment is Tuesday the 19th at 1 pm for you,"

"Thanks, Doc," Harrison told him. Bryan and Harrison shook hands before Bryan left the house, as it stayed silent for a few minutes as Briana closed the door. Briana stood in front of him. Harrison almost could not make contact with her eyes; however, he was shocked when Briana just hugged him tightly.

"I'm not mad or upset with you for what happened, all that matters now is you're getting the help you need and you're home with us again. No matter how long it takes, we'll all be here for you anyway we can be. For right now, all I want is your arms around me, holding me," Briana said softly. Harrison pushed her back a little and she got a little hurt, but Briana watched as he locked the wheels of his chair in place, and then he moved the foot pieces out of the way.

"If that's all you want," Harrison put his hands on the armrests and pushed himself up slowly until he was balanced on the right leg. Everyone's eyes widened, Harrison had never stood on his own since the accident, he always had the chair or crutches, but here he was, balanced on the right leg, though with the fake limb and long pants, it looked like he was standing on both. Harrison took Briana's hand in his, and then he pulled her close with his arms around her. "Then I'll hold you the right way," he finished his sentence. Briana could have cried, she buried her face into his shirt and held on to him tightly. Sure, it wasn't much, but it meant the world to Briana that Harrison stood up for her to embrace him. The others were stunned to see the scene and overall just glad he was doing better. For Harrison, it made him feel good to know he did something so small to make his wife happy. However, he knew he wasn't okay and still had a long way to go.


	54. Like Himself

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; Harrison X Briana_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! In addition, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character Ella (Eira) Solveig. She belongs to a good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

54) Like Himself

 _{Normal POV}_

 **[June 20, 2020-Berkville Beach]**

It had only been a few weeks since Harrison's return home from the psychiatric hospital, things were a bit better, but still on edge with Harrison's mood. Of course, Harrison went to his appointments with the psychiatrist and took his anti-depressants, but they didn't do much other than keep Harrison's mood in the middle. Harrison's wasn't sad or happy, just blah. Today, everyone would be getting together to go to the beach. Now, there were three beaches in Berkville and it just so happened that they chose to go to the one where Harrison had been wounded in the grenade blast that caused him to lose his leg. Nobody realized it right away until Harrison's mood deteriorated and he remained silent while staring out to the water. At some point, Harrison wheeled his chair through the sand and got closer to the water, but was still close to them.

"What's that all about?" TJ asked.

"I don't think we chose the best place to be for a summer picnic," Nate stated.

"Why is that?" Addilyn inquired now as none of them quite understood.

"You don't recognize where we are?" Trevor motioned around the area. "This is the beach where Harrison took on Red Death, that guy, and got so wounded that they couldn't save his leg," he said as everyone gasped and looked towards Harrison. How could they have forgotten? No wonder Harrison seemed exceptionally miserable today. Harrison seemed to be struggling with the location, they could see him close his eyes and start shaking. Toothless got up from the warm sand and moved towards his friend, nuzzling his head under Harrison's hand for comfort.

"We should go. I don't want to see him relapse," Briana said softly.

"Let's just give it a few minutes. I think it might be good for him to be here, a way of coming to terms with what happened. Any psychiatrist would say the same, that he has to accept it to cope properly," Aaron offered. For a while, they just watched Harrison sit in his wheelchair with Toothless beside him as he stared out to the water silently.

"Isn't there anything we can do for him?" Olivia wondered.

"Unfortunately, no, not really. All we can do is be here if he needs us, but depression and PTSD is a battle that he has to overcome to beat it. It is not easy, PTSD has been known to last years and even if someone has it under control, anything could trigger it. I have a friend who was diagnosed with PTSD thirty years ago, still has moments where it affects him," Glenn informed.

"How's he doing?" came a familiar voice. The group turned to see Bryan Michaels, the doctor who worked with Harrison at VPH.

"Well, he was alright until we came here. It's the same place where the accident happened," Briana sighed.

"It will be good for him. I know it seems harsh, but he has to face his past to conquer it," Bryan informed. "Things like this will only make him stronger because he'll remember what he's fighting for," he added.

Toothless licked Harrison's cheek and he chuckled a little. "I love you too, Toothless," Harrison told him. "Thanks, Doc. I needed to hear that," he stated as he glanced back at Bryan. "Here with your family?" Harrison asked.

"This is just my lunch break. I love coming to the beach," Bryan chuckled.

"I used to," Harrison nodded before looking forward again.

"Keep your faith, Harrison. Rome wasn't built in a day, getting over PTSD and depression at the same time is no different," Bryan reminded. "I know it's hard, but the only way to beat this is to overcome it. You have to tell yourself you can, believe it too. The only way to be truly happy is to accept what you can't change, overcome your fears, and move forward in life," Harrison didn't respond but Bryan knew Harrison understood what he was saying. "You're probably sick of hearing it, but it takes time, my friend,"

"I know, Doc," Harrison replied calmly, still keeping his eyes forward. Bryan smiled as he looked to the family and friends, he gave them a look that said to leave him be for now. Bryan ended up leaving after he put a hand on Harrison's shoulder, the others just looked at Harrison, he looked miserable again. Nate couldn't stand this, Harrison had always been there for him when he needed someone and now when Harrison needed someone for him, all anyone did was stay back instead of trying. Nate understood that Harrison needed is space, but that was no reason for everyone to just sit around and tell Harrison they were there for him and not prove it. The doctor did something to make Harrison relax a little, so why couldn't they do the same? Nate finally got up off the blanket and moved towards Harrison.

"Nathaniel, come back here," Spencer demanded. Nate ignored his father's command to return as he moved in front of Harrison.

"Hey. Why don't you come back to the group, big brother? I've been practicing with the guitar you gave me, can I show you?" Nate asked.

"Maybe later, kiddo," Harrison said quietly.

"Please? I wrote a song and want you to be the first to hear it. To, uh, critique it, maybe tell me how to make it better?" Nate tried again. Harrison sighed as he unlocked the wheels of the chair and tried to turn it around, but it seemed he was having some trouble with it. Nate moved behind the chair and started pushing it a bit to turn it around.

"I'm sorry that you have to push me," Harrison told him with his eyes closed.

"I don't mind given all the things you've done for me. And hey, isn't this what brothers are for?" Nate told him. After Harrison was turned, Nate when over to the radio and hook up his phone, then grabbed the guitar that Harrison gave him. "I started working on this song when you left for Kuwait and finished it about ten seconds ago when I thought of the last lines. I wrote it for you, Harrison," hearing that, Harrison's head lifted a little, some surprise showing in his green eyes. Nate pressed the play button on his phone as the music started.

" _The house was like a tomb. I was hiding in my room, as my brother made his way on down the hall. I didn't want to say goodbye and I was trying to deny there was a war, that he got the call. I watched him from my window walking down the drive, then I ran down the stairway, through the front door and I cried,"_ there was a pause as Nate took a breath.

" _You come back you hear? And I let him see my tears. I said I'll give you my rookie of DiMaggio. I'll do anything you want, clean your room or wash your car. I'll do anything so long as you don't go. But he said, this is what brothers are for,"_ that line alone made Harrison's eyes widen. That was something Harrison always said to Nate, that everything he did for him was because that's what brothers were for.

" _Well, I have my heroes, but the one I love the most, taught me how to hunt and swing a bat. And I wrote him every night, I said I missed our pillow fights, but lately I just wonder where you're at. And sometimes freedom makes it hard to live, when it takes things from you, that you don't want to give!"_ Nate sang as Harrison could only listen to him, still in shock that his brother wrote something like this.

" _I said you come back you hear. I miss you being near. Laugh and fish down in the maple grove. Yeah, I'll do anything you want. There must be someone I can call, and just maybe they would let you come back home. But he wrote, this is what brothers are for,"_ Nate only looked at Harrison; the others were moved by the song and kept looking between Harrison and Nate, watching Harrison's reactions mainly. The music picked up a little and Harrison listened closely.

" _I may never have to face the anger of those guns. Or lie cold and wounded in my blood. Or know the sacrifice of what it must have cost, for him to love me that much,"_ the music softened as it almost looked like Harrison was going to cry, but he held firm.

" _Well, it had been two years and I held back my tears when I saw him in that wheelchair on the shore,"_ Harrison's eyes widened. Did Nate work on this from the time Harrison went to Kuwait all the way up until now when Harrison was in a wheelchair? Nate did mention that he _just_ finished the song after thinking up the final lines. _"And as I ran and held him tight, that's when he looked me in the eyes and said I'm sorry that you have to push me home,"_ Nate looked at Harrison as the others gasped a little. Harrison had just said that before Nate started singing. _"And I said; Hey, this is what brothers are for,"_ after that, the song played a few more notes before it ended.

Harrison didn't say anything at first, still in shock over the song. Most of the girls were in tears, the guys were equally shocked. "It's what you've always told me, Harrison. Everything you've done for me, you always tell me that it's because that's what brothers are for. You've always been here for me when I needed you and now when you're going through all this, I wanted you to know that I'm here for you as you were for me. You wouldn't let me give up and I won't let you do the same by wasting away in that chair. Get up," Nate ordered.

"Nate, I get what you're trying to do, but it doesn't work that way. I've tried before and I just can't do it," Harrison told him.

"Then you aren't my brother, because my brother wouldn't give up so easily. My brother doesn't let anything get in the way of what he wants in life because he's a fighter. My brother is a former Second Lieutenant of the Arc Isle Army, a hero to his family and friends, to his hometown, and island. You can still walk, Harrison! You can, you just refuse to try because it failed a couple of times MONTHS AGO while you were still in the hospital healing," Nate yelled at him.

"Nathaniel Haddock. That's enough," Viviana commanded firmly.

"No, this is enough. You can all sit on your asses and do nothing because you're afraid to set him off. I'm not. I'm not going to let time run its course and let him believe that he can't walk. I'm gonna get up and do something about it just like he did for me when I was battling cancer. How do you expect him to get better if you won't help him? You're just going to sit back, let him believe lies about himself? You said you were here for him, so why are you letting him battle this alone? Harrison didn't let me give up and I'm not gonna let him do the same," Nate said sternly, leaving them in shock to ponder if Nate was right. The seventeen-year-old turned his attention to his elder brother, who had never seen such a fire in his brother before. "Get up, Harrison. You're letting your PTSD and depression get in the way, letting it tear you down and keep you there in that stupid chair. Fight back and get up!"

"I can't, it hurts," Harrison closed his eyes.

"What hurts, Harrison? Trying to walk or is the fact you lost the leg in general," Nate asked. Harrison flinched a little. "It hurts that you mentally and emotionally that your leg couldn't be saved after the explosion. Your physical wounds have healed, not the other ones. In your mind, you're still fighting that guy and trying to change something you know you can't. You want to know what your PTSD is, its you still fighting Dominic. He's in your head, a constant reminder that his grenade caused you to lose your leg. Stop letting him win, Harrison," Nate told him.

"Think it's that easy, huh?" Harrison sighed.

"It IS that easy. You want to know how to win? Don't think about Dominic's grenade going off and your leg was so badly wounded that it couldn't be saved. Think about the fact you saved this entire island with what you did. You rushed back from SYRIA to take on Red Death when you learned it was a massive dragon, not a weapon. You didn't hesitate to take that thing on by yourself because you knew what would happen if you didn't. You were willing to give up your freedom to keep us safe when Dominic's men had us at gunpoint. You tricked him, fought him, because you knew he'd kill you if you did go with him. Stop thinking about what he did and remember what you did. You could have lost your life if that leg hadn't been removed, Harrison. And I don't know about you, but I rather have you legless than dead and me brotherless! Now for fucks sake, stop letting that guy win. Show me you're a fighter, show me you're still you and get up!" Nate glared. "This is what brothers are for, I'm not going to let you do this to yourself. Get up."

"Harrison, don't listen to your bro-," Spencer began, wanting to assure Harrison that he didn't have to do anything he wasn't ready to do or try. However, looking at Harrison, they saw his head down. Harrison finally moved, he put his hands on the armrests of the wheelchair and tried to push himself up from the seat. Though, he struggled quite a bit and fell back down with a sigh.

"No. No, don't do that. Don't give up. Come on, Harrison," Nate encouraged as he crouched down and moved the two foot holders out of the way. "Try again. I know you can do this," he said as Harrison put his hands on the rests once more, forcing himself to stand on the right foot, his left touched the ground slowly as he finally put weight on it and tried to find his balance. Harrison panted a bit, finding it hard to do all this when his leg had been inactive since December 2019, nearly five months ago now.

"Nate, stop pushing him!" Viviana said.

"Shut up," Harrison growled almost as they were quiet, shocked that Harrison was telling them to leave Nate alone now. Harrison focused on his legs, he tried to take a step forward with the left and faltered. Harrison started to fall but Nate prevented him from doing so.

"I won't let you fall, brother. I promise that it's going to be okay because I'm here. You can do this, I know you can. Nothing is holding you back anymore except you. I believe you can. Believe that you can walk, believe that you are still you," Nate urged as he used one arm to hold Harrison balanced, then he used his other hand to offer to Harrison, who ended up connecting his hand to Nate's. Harrison tried to take another step, it was wobbly, but he kept going. After seven, Nate removed his hand that kept Harrison mostly balanced and Harrison kept taking steps, slow ones but steps never the less and on his own balance. Finally, Nate released Harrison's hand and Harrison stooped, a little nervous to keep going. "Believe, Harrison. Believe in yourself," Nate told him. Harrison took a deep breath before he took a step forward. "Come on, you got this, brother,"

Harrison stepped again, then again and again until he had it down. Harrison ended up smiling, shocked that he'd done it. Harrison actually laughed as he looked at Nate who was smiling back. Harrison put his hand out to Nate. "Side by side or miles apart," he started.

Nate lifted his hand to Harrison's as the two gripped hard. "We'll always be brothers connected by the heart," Nate finished as Harrison pulled him over and hugged him.

"Thank you, Nate," Harrison whispered.

"Hey, this is what brothers are for," Nate replied. No one could believe it, what went from a moving song about brothers turned into Nate forcing his elder brother to get up, believe in himself and walk. And by the Gods, Harrison did it. For Harrison, nothing was better than the feeling he had right now. Sure, he knew he had everyone else, but Nate did something they didn't. None of them stepped up and made Harrison believe he could do it, all of them walked on eggshells around Harrison, afraid to upset or push him too much. Nate hadn't been afraid, he made Harrison see that his fear stemmed from something he couldn't change no matter what. Harrison didn't have a word for the emotions he felt right now, he wanted to cry but didn't. Harrison knew one thing though, he was starting to feel like himself again.


	55. Better Every Day

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; Harrison X Briana_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! In addition, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character Ella (Eira) Solveig. She belongs to a good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

55) Better Every Day

 _{Harrison's POV}_

 **[Berkville Beach; 4:45 pm]**

It was now about three hours later from the moment where everyone saw Nate scold me and then force me to walk, which I did and that shocked the group around us. I was beside myself at his actions, and yet I was grateful too. I knew I would still need the wheelchair for a bit longer, but had been totally convinced to return to physical therapy after today. I never expected my little brother of all people to be the one to push me, however, it just proved the strong bond we'd always had in the past. When I first came to the beach this morning around 11:30 am and realized where we were, I wanted no part of staying. At the same time, I didn't want to ruin everyone else's fun so I dealt with it. The longer I stayed until Bryan showed up, the worse my flashbacks go and I feared having a relapse. I wasn't sold on listening to Nate's guitar song when he mentioned it after Bryan left. I had given Nate the gift before I left for Kuwait in 2016, it had originally been mine and I gave it to him because he loved it; I told him to practice hard. After hearing his song for me, I had no words to describe it.

My seventeen-year-old brother wrote a song about brothers being there for one another. How the older brother was in the military, going off to war and the younger sibling didn't want him to go. The song continued to explain how the older brother always said 'this is what brothers are for.' Now, this was a line that I always said to Nate when the situation called for it. I'd said it many times, when Nate battled cancer and learned I was his donor for bone marrow, when I shaved my head so he wouldn't have to be hairless alone. So many instances growing up that I said those six words to him, and today, Nate got to say them back to me in the best way. Nate had been right, I gave up walking because I felt like it was pointless, because I stopped believing in myself and thinking I was a failure with what happened. Yet, Nate reminded me that while I lost my leg, I did so much more for others. Why should I worry about losing a leg when I could have lost my life? Why should I care that I lost my leg when I did it to save my wife, sons, brother, family, in-laws, and friends? My town, hell, I saved the island with what I did.

No, what Nate did for me was amazing and as soon as he pushed me to walk and I did it, I started feeling better. I suppose the only way to explain it was how Nate told me that I was letting Dominic win. It was the truth, I let what Dominic did control me and everything I did. I was trying to fight a battle I'd already won, and my PTSD was that battle. The reason it got so bad was that I couldn't accept that I lost my leg to Dominic and it wasn't even him. Sure, it was Dominic's two bullets and grenade, but I lost my leg because I fought to protect the people and home I care about. If I hadn't fought and just gone with Dominic like I tricked him into believing, everyone would still be in danger because Dominic would have just killed me. I fought for a greater cause and losing my leg held me back. I focused on the wrong thing and then started doubting myself. However, I did have PTSD from other things in the past, that is why I snapped about a month ago, and tried to end my life, I just couldn't cope with it all. I was still ashamed of myself for not opening up to the others when they offered so many times to be someone I could talk to. I felt like I owed it to them to apologize.

Right now, we were just relaxing on the beach as it had been a long day for everyone. Everyone had eaten a good meal, talked, and I tried a few more times with the temporary leg, however, it wasn't built for all the time use and did get uncomfortable so I had to sit down and take it off. I would call the physical therapy office on Monday, make an appointment to get in and possibly start doing work with that to make my leg stronger, then get fitted for a permanent artificial limb. My mood was better, but I'd likely still keep up with the psychiatry appointments and anti-depressants for a while longer. I wasn't quite ready to say I was fully okay and I still had a lot to work through from the tour in Kuwait, and then the secret operations. I felt like I should explain things to them because at the moment, I felt like they assumed all my PTSD was centered on what happened with Dominic and my leg, though that was a good portion, there was more to work to work out and come to terms with.

"Harrison?" I heard Briana say to me as I looked over at her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just thinking," I admitted.

"Anything you wanna talk about, son?" Viviana questioned.

I sighed some. "Look. I wanted to apologize for how I've been towards anyone since all _this_ happened," I motioned to my leg. "I know I've been short-tempered and a miserable thing that has everyone worried, especially since the day of the attempted suicide,"

"Harrison, it's okay. You don't have to apologize for that," Aaron said now.

"But I feel like I do and it will make me feel better if I get this out," I stated as they stayed quiet while I looked out to the line where the sky met the sea. "Nate was right. Most of my PTSD stemmed from what happened with Dominic, I kept reliving it over and over again and trying to figure out what I could have done differently to change the outcome. The truth is, I couldn't have done anything to change it without it affecting someone else and all I cared about that day was protecting my hometown, I wasn't worried about me. I gave up walking because I hated what happened to me, how much it hurt emotionally and mentally. I lost my leg, went into a three-week come, got discharged from the army. Everything just happened so fast and it felt like my life plummeted down, that I no longer had control anymore,"

"I felt utterly useless and helpless to be sitting at home every day while Bri worked and the boys were in daycare. I hated that I needed help with things I used to be able to do, I just hated it all and when I got home, everything started coming back with all the time to sit by myself. I was falling into flashbacks during the day, nightmares at night. I'd be reliving times where I saw friends die on the first tour, things I had to see while I was doing those secret missions. I started drinking hard and smoking," I heard them gasp. "Relax, I quit both while I was admitted. But that day you all showed up and I was being put in the back of an ambulance because I tried to kill myself, I just lost it that day. I felt like no matter what I did, I was going to be in everyone's way. I didn't want to be a burden to anyone. I felt like Bri and the boys deserved someone else, I felt like nothing would ever be the same so why not just end it," I closed my eyes.

"A lot of that decision to commit suicide likely came from the fact I was buzzed, it wasn't until after I swallowed seven of those pills with SoCo that I knocked over a picture from a couch-side table. It was the one from the day Bri gave birth to the twins and we got married, I just snapped out of what I was trying to do and called Glenn to ask for help. He told me if I needed anything, to call so I suppose that came forward when I needed help. I'm sorry that I didn't take visitors, I just…didn't want anyone to see me like that. The whole first week I had breakdowns and got a little violent with the male nurses, I didn't want to risk hurting any of you," I informed softly. "So, I just wanted to apologize for how I acted these past months after I lost my leg and you'll never know how much it means to me that none of you walked away or abandoned me. Truth is, knowing you were all still around for me is what forced me to get the phone to call Glenn for help. I'm sorry I didn't let anyone in and I promise that I'll never shut you out again. Thank you for standing by me,"

"We'll never abandon you, Harrison. Some of us might not be blood, but we're all family. We're glad you're still with us, it wouldn't be the same without you," Syrus smiled. I smiled, Gods I had the best family and friends around. I knew with them supporting and standing by me, I would beat this PTSD and depression. I was finally starting to feel like me again, and I wasn't going to let it go. Sooner or later, I would be okay again.

 **[9/14/2020]**

I did exactly as I had planned to do. After leaving the beach that day in June, I called up the physical therapy office and made appointments for twice a week to start, and on the same days I had counseling too. I worked with my leg to make it stronger and walk on the different kinds of artificial limbs that the specialist provided me to try out. There were a few styles I liked and we were now sticking to those to practice more with and then work on getting one fitted for permanent use. Psychiatry sessions were going great, I was doing a lot better now with flashbacks and nightmares, I was down to one appointment a week and still taking the anti-depressants twice a day. Perhaps one of the best things to happen was that I didn't need the wheelchair at all, but I still used the crutches if I was going to be up for a while. I couldn't believe that in a few weeks it would be mine and Briana's three year wedding anniversary and our twin's third birthday! This year, I was taking care of everything for both events.

Briana and I have been able to make love like normal, I got over the self-conscious leg thing and honestly, the sex was amazing just as it had been before. Did I mention that Frankie and Regina were married now, they got hitched in July and were now expecting a child. Yep, Regina got pregnant on their wedding night so she was now about two months pregnant. Hailey and Trevor were engaged, Trevor popped the question in July also, on their two-year anniversary of dating. A wedding date had not yet been set, but we knew it would be winter of 2021. Andy and Addilyn were married, they got married privately at the beginning of September, just last week in fact and were now preparing to move into their new house with plans for children in the near future. Skye and Dexter finally got together, happened in August of this year and things were going good. Syrus had gotten into a relationship with Sierra, one of the girls I used to work with at Berkys.

What am I saying, I'm back to working there again. The leg I was using allowed me to work again and by the Gods I had missed doing so, especially now that I was out of the military. Berkys gave me something to do five days a week from 6 am to 3 pm, and be home by 3:30 when Bri arrived with the twins. TJ was dating too, he was with Stephanie, one of the girls who was in my old platoon. I loved that all my friends were happy in their relationships and starting to settle down, it seemed everything was working out, what I like most of all was that I felt like me. The depression was fading and the PTSD, while it would always be there, it was manageable to where I controlled my life again. Honestly, it was a great feeling because it meant things were returning to normal and I was getting better every day.


	56. Because Of Them

**Through The Ups & Downs**

 _Couple; Harrison X Briana_

 _Rating; Mature_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD or any songs I might use! In addition, from this point in the story and in future chapters, I do not own the character Ella (Eira) Solveig. She belongs to a good friend, ShadowSpirit020._

56) Because Of Them

 _{Normal POV}_

 **[October 9, 2020-Briana & Harrison's Place]**

It was amazing what a few short weeks could fix. Today marked several big events for Harrison and his little family. Two days ago was the official date of Harrison and Briana's three-year wedding anniversary, and it was Cayden and Colden's third birthday. However, the party for both those celebratory items was today, Friday the 9th. In addition to those, there was one other major event; Harrison finished physical therapy and his psychiatry sessions. Harrison now had a new model artificial lib, one that worked so it would feel and look to be that Harrison never lost his leg. Same skin tone, shape, and everything. Harrison loved how it looked and felt, to be honest, when he walked, there was hardly a limp. Harrison could tell there was because he was still adjusting to it, but when he walked, no one could tell the difference. Moreover, Harrison using it with shoes and socks, no one knew a things except for the fact that everyone knew he was the former soldier who saved their lives with his brave and courageous acts of selflessness. Harrison was done with his counseling appointments too, he admitted that he felt great and could control whatever came his way.

As such, Harrison was off the anti-depressants last week to see how he'd do without them and there hasn't been a single problem. Harrison moved past all the things he'd endured and seen from his time in the military, overall, he was a lot happier for doing so and grateful to all those who helped in that desperate time of need. Everyone was coming over; Spencer, Viviana, Nate and Emily with him, the two finally got together. Nate asked Emily homecoming dance in September when their Junior Year of High School began. In addition, the training with their Night Furies, Luna and Streamwing was going great, especially with Harrison helping. Other who were coming were Mia, Carter, Jasmine, Alexander, Glenn, and Aaron. Then, of course, all the friends; Addilyn, Andy, Regina, Frankie, TJ with Stephanie, Syrus with Sierra, Dexter and Skye, Hailey and Trevor. Olivia and Chelsea were coming as well with their boyfriends. Bradley Hunt was Olivia's and Kevin Rogers was Chelsea's.

Olivia and Bradley were actually married and had been for two years, they got engaged in 2018, then married six months later and didn't tell anyone because their families didn't like them together. Of course, they did not have plans for children yet, they wanted to get their families used to the marriage and have them start getting along before throwing an innocent child into the mix, seemed fair to those that knew of the situation. Either way, everyone was over, the only person not there was Harrison, who was still at work and promised he'd be home in time, yet, at the moment, he was thirty minutes late.

"Should I call Berkys?" Briana wondered nervously.

"I got out at 2 pm when Harrison was supposed to, he said he'd be right behind after he finished the inventory," Sierra mentioned softly while sitting next to Syrus. Briana grabbed the phone off the base and everyone quieted down as she dialed Berkys number and waited with it on speakerphone.

After three rings, there was an answer. _"Berkys, this is Harrison. How can I help you?"_

"Harrison, it's Bri. Where are you, babe?" Briana asked.

" _Still at work obviously, Milady,"_ Harrison chuckled. _"Sorry, Cal is running a bit behind. I guess there was an emergency with his oldest daughter, something about a possible broken arm that occurred during her soccer game,"_ he informed afterward.

"Do you know how much longer, Love? We're all here waiting for you," Briana asked.

" _Um, are you going to get mad at me if I say another hour? We're kind of getting one of those mini rushes and I'm the only manager on right now with a crew of four because someone no called/no showed on me,"_ Harrison stated. _"Hang on. Scott, jump on sandwiches and help Amy out. Drive-thru is getting slammed,"_

"Harrison, do you want me to come back and help with the rush?" Sierra asked.

"I can come back too if ya need another helping hand?" TJ offered.

" _I'd really appreciate that,"_ Harrison breathed a sigh of relief. _"TJ, when you get here, jump on grill. Sierra, take over front on the second register. Raymond will run for you, you're a faster ringer than he is since he's new,"_

"Got it, we're on our way, boss!" Sierra called as the two got up and hurried out the door to Sierra's car.

" _Harrison, we need help!"_

" _Hey, everyone just needs to take a deep breath and calm down. Nothing will get done if you don't work together. Scott, you make sandwiches for DT. Amy, you handle front. Ray, stay on front, backup is coming. James, stay where you are on OT. I'll run and handle fries. I'll be home as soon as I can, babe. Sorry, but I gotta go. I love you, and the rest of you too!"_ after that, the call ended as everyone sighed.

"So, how do we kill an hour?" Jasmine wondered curiously.

 **[An Hour & Ten Minutes Later]**

At 3:15 pm, Harrison's truck was heard pulling into the driveway, then right behind him along the side of the road was Sierra's car. Harrison and TJ exited the truck, Sierra shut her car door as all three of them made their way into the house.

"Well, that couldn't have possibly been worse," Harrison mumbled.

"Bad rush?" Briana asked.

"I don't even wanna talk about it," Harrison stated with Sierra and TJ nodding in agreement. "Let me get changed and we'll start this thing," he added while moving into the bedroom to change out of his work uniform. TJ had his in his drawstring bag, Sierra's was in her car since both of them had worked a shift earlier that day, then they went right to the Briana and Harrison's place to help set up the party. Harrison came out dressed in a pair of black, gray, and white cargo pants and a black shirt. "Okay, much better," he smiled as he kissed Briana deeply, then grabbed both of his boys and hugged them tightly while they giggled before being put down.

"Well, now that everyone is here. Glenn and I have something for Harrison," Aaron stated as he got up with Glenn and approached Harrison with smiled.

"Okay, you two are freaking me out. It's…not my birthday and all I did was stop going to appointments for psychiatry and therapy. That's nothing that merits a gift," Harrison remarked.

"In truth, you were supposed to get this a while back but there was a lot of paperwork involved and well, we wanted to wait until you were…all good again. We thought that today might be as good a time as any with everyone over to give it to you," Glenn informed as Aaron and he brought forth a medium sized black box.

"Harrison, this time last year you did something that saved the lives of hundreds at the risk of your own. Even before that, you risked your life as a special ops soldier for three years on dangerous missions. You joined the Arc Isle Military as an Infantryman for the Army in April 2015, and served four years with us before you were medically and honorable discharged. This gift is not from us, rather it is from headquarters, but we were tasked with giving it to you," Aaron said a little formally. The box opened yet no one was able to see what was inside.

"Harrison Haddock, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. The Arc Isle Military Forces awards you the highest honor any soldier can receive; the Medal of Valor," Glenn said as everyone gasped quickly, Harrison's eyes widened as Glenn removed the medal from the box and walked it over to Harrison, placing it around his neck gently, and then stepping back. Harrison couldn't believe this, he was awarded the military's highest honor for what he did last year with defeat Red Death and Dominic? That merited this medal?! Harrison didn't have the words.

"You've earned it for all you did for this island, lad," Aaron smiled as Glenn nodded.

"I-I don't…have the words. Thank you," Harrison managed, still in shock. Honestly, he felt like he might cry. It was an honor to receive this medal and more meaningful that Aaron and Glenn were the ones who got to award it to him. Granted, Harrison wasn't a soldier anymore, not legally at least, but this meant a lot to him. In Harrison's heart, he would always be a soldier and always protect the people he loved.

"So, fun question for you, big brother?" Nate said smiling. "If the military needed you back, even with all that happened, would you answer the call?"

"Honest answer?" Harrison arched a brow as everyone nodded. "In a friggin heartbeat," he replied with a smile. "I answered that about three weeks ago when I asked myself, I wrote a song for how I feel regarding it all,"

"Oh, can we hear it!?" Viviana asked gently with some mild excitement.

"Sure," Harrison shrugged as he went to the spare room and grabbed his guitar, and then came out with the strap around his next. "Nate, wanna help me out?" he asked as Nate got up quickly and moved beside Harrison, after that, Harrison started playing the notes.

" _He's got a corner lot on Dogwood Drive, a year old tuck, and a nine to five. Comes home at night to a pretty wife with a baby due,"_ Harrison started as Nate was tapping his feet to the beat. _"He'll sleep in on Saturday, cut the grass if it don't rain. After church, he'll watch the game and have a beer or two. He'll stand up when he hears the anthem, and that won't ever change!"_ Nate joined in as the two prepared for the chorus.

" _He's still a soldier. His blood runs red, white, and blue. He put away his gun and boots, but he still believes in the Arc Isle Dream. 'Til his last breath he'll always be…A soldier. He's still be a soldier,"_ Nate and Harrison sang with a big smile.

" _He's on his couch for the news at ten, he'll see those places that he's been and when a brother falls, there's a part of him that does too. And if they called and needed him back, oh, he'd be on the plane!"_ Nate sang while Harrison kept playing.

" _He's still a soldier. His blood runs red, white, and blue. He put away his gun and boots, but he still believes in the Arc Isle Dream. 'Til his last breath he'll always be…A soldier!"_ after that it was just Harrison playing for a minute or so.

" _He don't wake up anymore, when he hears thunder! Oh, but even if he lives to be a hundred,"_ a slight pause as Harrison went to join in with his little brother. _"He'll still be a soldier. He's still a soldier! He's put away, his gun and boots. But he still believes the Arc Isle Dream. 'Til his last breath he'll always be…A soldier! He's still a soldier….He's still a soldier!"_ the song finished after the two held the ending note. Harrison wrapped and arm around Nate's shoulders and one-arm hugged him. The groups of family and friends clapped happily, cheering at the performance.

"So, that was an amazing song for one. And two, I was curious about the some of the lyrics, if I can question them?" Addilyn wondered.

"Sure, shoot," Harrison stated with a smile after he returned from putting his guitar away and Nate sat back down next to Emily.

"Alright, its really just two. The first one is the ending part where Nate sang 'He don't wake up anymore when he hears thunder.' What's that for?" Addy asked.

"Well, after the whole Kuwait tour and Dominic's grenade, I wasn't a huge fan of thunderstorms because the sound reminded me of bombs. It used to wake me up and take me a few minutes to focus on where I was. It was part of the PTSD," Harrison shrugged.

"I had a feeling it was about that. So, the second thing is the opening lyrics about coming home to a pretty wife with a baby due. You said you wrote this a few weeks ago, so…is that like back when she was pregnant with the twins or just something random you threw in there for the sake of the song about a former soldier settling down with a family finally?" Addilyn questioned. Harrison chuckled a bit, which made everyone curious as to why he did it. Briana smiled as she walked over to Harrison now and leaned into his chest as his arms wrapped around her figure lovingly, his hands resting on her lower stomach.

"Nope, nothing to do with any of that. I come home from work to a pretty wife with a baby due," Harrison stated with a smile. It took everyone a minute to process what he said, then they zeroed in on Briana's and Harrison's hands resting on Briana's stomach.

Jasmine and Skye jumped up first and pointed excitedly. "Briana's pregnant again!"

"Bingo," Harrison said as he kissed Briana lightly. Everyone was in shock, Briana was pregnant again?! After the kiss broke, Harrison gave Briana a gentle squeeze. "Eight weeks and five days today, found out two weeks ago when she was six along as her annual appointment,"

"Yep, ran a standard office test to check as they always do and it came back positive," Briana informed, "Oh, and only one this time," she added happily. "I'm due May of next year,"

"That's wonderful! Congrats, lad," Glenn clapped his hands together, then got up and hugged Harrison, who couldn't resist hugging back tightly. Afterward, Harrison looked at Glenn gently.

"Glenn, if…not for you, I might not be here right now. You've always been like an uncle to me and I can't tell you how grateful I am that you came when I called for help. It's because of you that I'm standing in this room with my family and friends, depression and PTSD free, about to be a father again. I…owe all this to you," Harrison admitted as he tried to keep his emotions in check.

"Hey, you're like a son to me, Harrison. The son I never got to have and one I'll always be around for until the day I die. In truth, though, any one of us would have come running upon getting a phone call like that. Just know that all of us will always be here for you, no matter what," Glenn told him. Harrison nodded as he hugged Glenn again. "Alright, enough of this…mushy crap. It's party time!" he announced as everyone cheered and Glenn wiped the single tear that slipped from Harrison's eye, then the man winked at him as if to say he wouldn't tell anyone. Harrison nodded again, thankful for the gesture. The party kicked into full swing and Harrison found himself a few hours later just leaning against the wall with a drink in hand while watching everyone talk about whatever they could. Harrison watched his family and friends interact, thankful to have every one of them in his life. Harrison was grateful to Glenn, and everyone else too. Harrison didn't know how things got better than this, but he knew for sure that these people would always be in his life through all the ups and downs. Harrison's life is and always would be perfect because of them. 

**~Author's Note;** _Hey! Guess what everyone, this is the LAST chapter of Through the Ups and Downs! I know, an emotional rollercoaster for Harrison, but hey, most of my stories go that way. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed it and I should have another story starting soon. Just gotta decide if it's gonna be Regular or Modern verse first, I have a bunch of ideas down in a document. Let me know what you guys want. Modern or Normal HTTYD Universe, also include if you want Hicstrid, Toothcup, Elsup/Hilsa(HiccupXElsa), or Hiccup X OC! Let me know in PM, please. See you soon and thank you all again for being such amazing and loyal fans of my work! –Nightstar Fury_


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